While President Lee Jae-myung has been raising his voice day after day to crack down on "nation-wrecking real estate speculation," the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) said that the fact that several Blue House aides are multiple-home owners "undermines the credibility of the overall real estate policy."
CCEJ said in a statement on the 3rd, "With the government failing to take the lead by example, controversy over double standards continues," and stated accordingly.
According to CCEJ, as of Dec. 10 last year, 8 out of 28 staffers (28.6%) in the presidential secretariat were multiple-home owners with two or more dwellings. In addition, of the 12 people who owned dwellings in Seoul under their own or their spouse's name, 4 (33.3%) appeared likely not to be living there, as they had leased the dwellings on jeonse.
Although President Lee Jae-myung is pressuring multiple-home owners to sell before the grace period for heavy capital gains taxes expires, many of his aides are themselves multiple-home owners.
The prices of apartments held by public officials rose from about 100 million won 10 years ago to between 710 million won and 1.77 billion won now, an increase of up to 1.06 billion won.
CCEJ said, "As senior public officials continue to hold dwellings beyond their primary residence and enjoy capital gains, the controversy over double standards does not end," and added, "Seeing officials not selling their dwellings, the public doubts the sincerity of real estate policy."
CCEJ urged the institutionalization of a "real estate blind trust system" for senior public officials. Under this system, senior public officials, during their term of office, must entrust to an unrelated third party (a trust institution) or sell all real estate other than one dwelling for actual residence, to prevent real estate speculation and conflicts of interest related to their duties.
CCEJ emphasized that President Lee Jae-myung already expressed support for introducing a real estate blind trust system when serving as Gyeonggi governor and as a presidential candidate.
It added, "For President Lee Jae-myung's real estate policy to deliver results, aides should first be advised to dispose of real estate other than for actual residence, and legislation should, in principle, prohibit the sale and purchase of land and dwellings other than a single dwelling for senior public officials."