Citizen Groups Demand Disclosure of List of Democratic Party Lawmakers Suspected of Illegal Real Estate Transactions... Information Disclosure Request Submitted to Anti-Corruption Commission

Kim Tae-eung, Head of the Special Investigation Team on Real Estate Transactions at the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, is announcing the results of a full investigation into real estate transactions involving members of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party and their families on the afternoon of the 7th at the government Seoul office briefing room. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] A civic group has demanded the disclosure of the names of 12 individuals, including members of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea and their families, who were suspected of illegal real estate transactions as announced by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.

The Association of Judicial Exam Preparers (Sajunmo) announced on the 8th that it has filed an information disclosure request with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission demanding the real names of the Democratic Party lawmakers.

The information Sajunmo requested to be disclosed includes ▲the real names of Democratic Party lawmakers suspected of violating laws during real estate transactions and holdings ▲the real names of Democratic Party lawmakers who did not cooperate with the commission’s investigation by failing to submit real estate transaction details. Additionally, Sajunmo requested the Democratic Party to voluntarily disclose the real names.

In the information disclosure request, Sajunmo criticized the commission for not revealing the real names, stating, "This not only fails to satisfy the public’s right to know but also creates a paradox where even lawmakers without real estate speculation allegations are suspected due to the lack of name disclosure." They added, "Lawmakers who cooperated with the investigation have been disadvantaged, while those who did not cooperate have gained the benefit of avoiding public criticism."

They further explained the reason for the request, saying, "As public figures, lawmakers’ privacy should be less protected than that of ordinary citizens. Real estate speculation allegations are matters of high public interest, and it is insufficient from the perspective of guaranteeing the public’s right to know under Article 1 of the Information Disclosure Act that the commission completed the investigation but did not disclose the lawmakers’ real names."

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission conducted a comprehensive investigation of real estate transactions over the past seven years involving 174 Democratic Party lawmakers, their spouses, and direct relatives, totaling 816 individuals, and announced the results the day before. According to the commission, six Democratic Party lawmakers were suspected of questionable real estate transactions, and the other six were family members such as spouses. The types of allegations include ▲real estate name trust (6 cases) ▲use of confidential information for business (3 cases) ▲violation of the Farmland Act (6 cases) ▲violation of the Building Act (1 case).

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