Candidate Park Sang-woo's Suspected Overseas Trips for Leisure... Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Claims "Achievements in Overseas Orders"

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport dismissed allegations of 'extravagant overseas trips,' stating that the overseas business trips taken by nominee Minister Park Sang-woo during his tenure as president of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) led to achievements such as overseas contract wins.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Park Sang-woo is making his first commute on the 5th to the confirmation hearing preparation office set up at the Government Complex Gwacheon. / Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Ministry on the 18th, Park took 18 official overseas business trips while serving as LH president (March 2016 to April 2019).

The Ministry explained that nine of these trips to Myanmar, Vietnam, Kuwait, India, Bolivia, and others were for signing agreements or contracts, or for negotiations related to LH projects underway at the time.

He also visited India, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and Tanzania three times as part of delegations accompanying presidential or prime ministerial visits and contract support teams. The remaining six overseas trips were undertaken in his capacity as president of the Asian Modern Pentathlon Confederation to attend inauguration ceremonies, preside over general meetings, and participate in executive committee meetings.

The Ministry stated, "Through these overseas trips, nominee Park directly conducted high-level government meetings, negotiations, memorandum of understanding (MOU) signings, and contracts, resulting in various achievements in overseas projects such as the groundbreaking of the Vietnam Economic Cooperation Industrial Complex (VTK), the groundbreaking of the Myanmar Economic Cooperation Industrial Complex (KMIC), winning the master plan and detailed design contract for Kuwait, and providing construction consulting for the Santa Cruz new city in Bolivia."

Regarding criticism that the trip reports were insufficient, the Ministry explained, "The details of overseas business trip results could negatively affect project negotiations if disclosed, depending on the nature of the development projects. Considering the diplomatic environment of the counterpart countries, the reports were inevitably prepared focusing on major schedules and comprehensive outcomes and then publicly disclosed."

Additionally, the Ministry added, "All 18 overseas trips were publicly disclosed through the Public Institution Management Information Disclosure System (ALIO) within 14 days from the occurrence of the reason, in accordance with Article 2 and Appendix 1 of Article 4 of the 'Standards for Integrated Disclosure of Public Institutions.'"

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