Kyungrye Sillyeon: "7 Ministers and Vice Ministers of Yoon Government Failed to Report Stock Sales and Blind Trusts"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Among the ministers and vice ministers in the Yoon Suk-yeol administration holding stocks worth more than 30 million KRW, nearly half have not reported stock sales or blind trust declarations. The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) has decided to file an administrative appeal against the Ministry of Personnel Management, which does not disclose information on conflict-of-interest reviews.

On the 26th, CCEJ held a press conference titled "Report on the Implementation Status of Blind Trusts for Stocks of Ministers and Vice Ministers in the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration" at the CCEJ auditorium in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

According to CCEJ, out of 16 ministers and vice ministers holding stocks worth more than 30 million KRW, 7 have yet to report stock sales or blind trust declarations. This means 44% of those subject to blind trusts remain unreported. The unreported ministers and vice ministers include Lee Gi-soon, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (1.82 billion KRW), Kim Hyun-sook, Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (990 million KRW), Cho Yong-man, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (450 million KRW), Lee Jong-seop, Minister of National Defense (160 million KRW), Kwon Young-se, Minister of Unification (90 million KRW), Cho Gyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare (70 million KRW), and Jang Young-jin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (50 million KRW).

There are also ministers and vice ministers suspected of still holding stocks worth more than 30 million KRW despite having reported stock sales and blind trust declarations. These include Kwon Ki-seop, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (760 million KRW), Park Woon-gyu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT (190 million KRW), Lee Gi-il, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (90 million KRW), Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (50 million KRW), and Lee Jeong-sik, Minister of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (40 million KRW), totaling five individuals. CCEJ stated, "There is skepticism about whether conflict-of-interest reviews on the remaining stocks have been properly conducted, as the Ministry of Personnel Management does not disclose such information."

On September 22 of last year, CCEJ requested the Ministry of Personnel Management to disclose details of conflict-of-interest reviews conducted on ministers and vice ministers to verify whether these reviews were properly carried out. However, on October 21 of last year, the Ministry of Personnel Management notified that the information would not be disclosed pursuant to the Public Officials Ethics Act and the Act on Disclosure of Information by Public Agencies.

On the 18th, CCEJ announced that it filed an administrative appeal against the Ministry of Personnel Management and the Stock Blind Trust Review Committee regarding the non-disclosure of conflict-of-interest review information. CCEJ stated, "The purpose of the Public Officials Ethics Act is to ensure that high-ranking public officials transparently disclose their unjust assets," adding, "Not disclosing information on conflict-of-interest reviews undermines the foundation of the stock blind trust system."

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