Nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Noh Hyung-wook Faces Expected Family Controversies Including Spouse and Second Son at Hearing

Allegations of Spouse Theft and Second Son's Unemployment Benefit Fraud Arise in Fictitious Residence Move
Gap Investment Suspicion in Sejong City Apartment... 200 Million KRW Profit Over 4 Years Without Actual Residence

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Gang-wook] On the eve of the confirmation hearing for Noh Hyung-wook, nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (photo), controversies surrounding Noh and his family continue unabated, including allegations of false address registration, spouse theft, and fraudulent unemployment benefit claims by his second son. Tomorrow's hearing is expected to focus heavily on explanations regarding these issues.

According to the National Assembly on the 3rd, Noh's wife, Ms. Kim, was prosecuted for violating the Minor Offenses Act and was fined 200,000 won by the court on May 1 of last year. It was reported that Ms. Kim was caught stealing items from a large supermarket at the time.

In response, Noh, through the Ministry of Land spokesperson's office, stated, "My spouse was fined 200,000 won through a summary judgment," but explained, "This incident occurred impulsively and unexpectedly while my spouse was suffering from menopausal depression symptoms."

He added, "I sincerely apologize for causing concern to the public due to family matters," and said, "I carry feelings of self-blame and reflection for not fulfilling my role as a husband while dedicating myself to public service, and I ask for understanding that my spouse and family bear a heavy emotional burden."

According to the confirmation hearing request submitted to the National Assembly, Noh owns total assets worth approximately 1.29 billion won, including an apartment in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, registered under his name. He has about 630 million won in readily available deposits, while his spouse holds about 55 million won.

There are also allegations that Noh's second son, who was a "co-founder" of a company, received improper unemployment benefits as an "employee" after the company closed. Online, the company's introduction states that "three co-founders gathered to start the business." Among the three founders, there is an introduction that appears to describe Noh's second son, including his educational background.

Regarding this, Noh's side explained, "The second son was not the CEO (co-founder) of the company but an employee who worked as an algorithm developer after the company was established," adding, "According to the preliminary startup package application (business plan), his status was that of an employee, and he is not listed as the CEO on the business registration certificate or the National Tax Service's closure certificate." Noh also explained that during his employment, his second son was enrolled in and paid all four major social insurance programs, including employment insurance, and after the company closed in December last year, he received unemployment benefits properly according to laws and procedures.

The Ministry of Land also stated that after reviewing related documents such as employment insurance workplace information and National Tax Service business registration information, it confirmed that he was enrolled in employment insurance as a worker and received job-seeking benefits properly.

Additionally, it was confirmed that Noh received an acquisition tax exemption for an apartment in Sejong City, which he was specially allocated in 2011, despite not residing there. There is also controversy over a "gap investment," where he reportedly earned about 200 million won in market price gains over four years by not living in the apartment but renting it out to tenants and reselling it. Furthermore, during his time at the Planning and Budget Office from June 2001 to December 2002, he is suspected of having registered false addresses twice, citing reasons such as children's education and housing disposal.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.