Lee Sang-il, the People Power Party candidate for Yongin mayor, pressed Democratic Party of Korea candidate Hyun Geun-taek over his residence and asset disclosure during a TV debate, mounting an offensive over "suspected bogus address registration." A past sexual harassment settlement process also came under scrutiny.
At the Yongin mayoral candidate debate on the 26th, Lee asked Hyun, "What street number on Giheungyeok-ro is your residence?" Hyun replied, "I don't know the exact home address."
Lee then asked additional questions about Hyun's current housing situation and asset disclosure. Hyun explained that he is currently living on a monthly rent, and Lee pointed out that the asset filing does not show details related to a lease deposit, saying further explanation is needed. Lee pressed, "Did you just list an address? Isn't this a bogus move-in?" and Hyun denied it, saying, "No."
Hyun's actual residential history also became a point of contention in the debate. Lee Sang-il said, "In the opening remarks, Hyun said he has been active in Yongin since 2006, but in a past interview with media in Seongnam, he said he had paid property tax in Seongnam since 2006, and two years ago when he ran for the National Assembly, he also said he lived in Seongnam," adding, "When you served as Suwon's second vice mayor, didn't you commute from Bundang?" Hyun answered, "Yes."
When Lee asked, "How long did you actually live in Yongin in the past 4 years?" Hyun pushed back, asking, "Why are you talking only about 4 years?"
In his closing remarks, Lee criticized, "A person who doesn't even know their own home address is running to be Yongin mayor," and added, "In a situation where it's unclear when and how long Hyun lived in Yongin over the past 4 years, can voters' hardships really be understood properly?"
The settlement process for Hyun's past sexual harassment case also became an issue. Lee asked Hyun, "Why did the victim withdraw the complaint?" and Hyun answered to the effect that there was a settlement.
Lee followed up by asking, "Was there any transfer of money or goods?" Hyun answered to the effect that "I will keep it private. If disclosed, the terms of the settlement could be broken."
Shortly after the debate, Spokesperson Kim Do-hyung of the Lee Sang-il camp issued a commentary, saying, "It is shocking that Hyun does not even know his own Yongin address," and added, "He must clearly explain the address, the amount of the monthly rent deposit, and whether any assets were omitted from the disclosure." He continued, "He must also clarify when he moved his address from Seongnam to Yongin and present facts proving it was not a bogus move-in," adding, "Yongin residents also have the right to know how the sexual harassment case was smoothed over."
Regarding the controversy raised in the TV debate, an official from the Hyun Geun-taek camp told ChosunBiz, "The home address issue is a baseless nitpick not worth responding to." On the sexual harassment controversy, the official said, "The sexual harassment issue raised by Lee is not true."