◀ anchor ▶
There are several real estate allegations surrounding the candidacy of Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon.
A controversy arose over the farmland that he had owned for over a decade, and one candidate explained that his mother had been farming.
Suspicion of receiving an expedient gift of an apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul also surfaced.
Reporter Lee Ji-sun reported and Chuncheon MBC reporter Baek Seung-ho covered it together.
◀ Report ▶
A rural village in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do.
Candidate Dong-Hoon Han for Justice Minister inherited 3,300 square meters of farmland in this area from his deceased father in 2004.
In principle, the farmland law in Korea prohibits non-farmers from owning farmland itself.
One candidate explained that there was no problem, saying, “Even following the inheritance, my mother continued farming.”
However, the story of the villagers was different.
It was said that it was not the mother who mainly farmed, but the housekeepers and couple.
[이웃 주민]
“There were people inside and outside who worked as assistants, inside and outside. The helper aunt came and went to and fro in Seoul and came with her husband, and the yangbans also planted tomatoes and vegetables to eat.
One candidate owned the farmland for 13 years and sold it at a profit in 2017.
Even though I knew it was farmland, I owned it for a long time.
[오세형/경제정의실천시민연합 부장]
“I think it can be seen that there is a problem with the basic morality of public officials and whether it was desirable property in light of these things.”
Not only this.
A candidate bought a new apartment building in Jamwon-dong from Mr. Jeong in 1998.
However, looking at the registered copy of the apartment, there are not one or two strange things.
On February 25, 1998, the owner of the house, Jung, borrowed 100 million won from the candidate’s mother, who secured this apartment as collateral.
But within a month, a candidate bought this apartment from Mr. Jung.
In the end, it means that one candidate had to pay back 100 million won to his mother instead of Mr. Jung.
If a candidate did not repay 100 million won to his mother or did not pay gift tax, it might only be seen as an expedient gift.
[윤지해/부동산114 수석연구원]
“If you don’t write down the plan you want to repay (100 million won), it might be an expedient. You have to notarize the evidence and check the bankbook details that the deposit was made on the agreed date every month, etc. .”
Candidate Dong-Hoon Han replied, “I do not know the specific registration process or circumstances because my mother carried out the transaction for me at the time.”
This is Lee Ji-sun from MBC News.
Video coverage: Gomyeong Dok/Video editing: Chi-young Yoon
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