Minister nominee Lee Hye-hoon of the Ministry of Planning and Budget said allegations that she provided a jeonse home to her eldest son for free and was involved in the redevelopment of land to be inherited by her younger son were "not true."
In a statement released through the Ministry of Planning and Budget on the 6th, the nominee said, "Although my eldest son is living in a jeonse apartment in Sejong that is leased under the nominee's name, he is paying the monthly jeonse usage fee properly."
The nominee established a jeonse leasehold right on July 29, 2023, for an apartment A in Sodam-dong, Sejong. The jeonse deposit is 165.3 million won, and the jeonse right is valid until Sept. 4, 2025. However, as it became known that the actual resident has been the eldest son since 2023, suspicions of a gift due to free residence were raised.
Regarding this, the nominee explained, "The eldest son is paying consideration for the use of the jeonse," adding, "It has nothing to do with a gift."
On suspicions related to a house and land in the Jeonnong-dong redevelopment zone in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, that were transferred to the younger son, the nominee said, "I could not exert any influence on the selection of the redevelopment area or the policy decision process."
She explained, "I ran in Dongdaemun B in the 21st general election in April 2020 and put forward a redevelopment pledge for the area, but I lost just half a month after the pledge was announced," adding, "Jeonnong-dong was designated as a redevelopment zone in March 2021, and the asset was transferred to the younger son four years after that."
Meanwhile, despite ongoing controversies over abuse of power and speculation surrounding the nominee, the Democratic Party of Korea is sticking to its position to proceed with the confirmation hearing as scheduled.
Kim Hyun-jung, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, met with reporters at the National Assembly after a party floor countermeasures meeting that day and said, "All of the nominee's various suspicions arose during the People Power Party period," criticizing, "It is the People Power Party, which nominated (the nominee) three times, that should engage in self-reflection on that." She added, "Through the hearing, the president's commitment to unity and the nominee's qualifications and expertise, as well as the various suspicions, can be vetted by both ruling and opposition parties," and "The final judgment will be made by the public."
In response, the People Power Party is both proposing to the Democratic Party a two-day hearing and saying it will set up a tip-off center related to the nominee.