Han Sung-sook Calls Preferential Officetel Sale Allegations "Excessive Assertions"

The ruling and opposition parties clashed over allegations that Prime Minister nominee Han Sung-sook rented and sold an officetel at a price well below market value. The People Power Party raised suspicions, questioning, "Wasn't this an act of providing preferential treatment in return for something?" However, the ruling party countered, calling it a "low-level attack." Nominee Han described the controversy as "an excessive claim."

At the National Assembly confirmation hearing that day, Nominee Han responded to a question from Kim Hee-jung, a People Power Party lawmaker, who pointed out that Han had sold an officetel she owned at a low price to a beauty salon owner who used to serve as the hairdresser for the late former President Roh Moo-hyun’s wife, Kwon Yang-sook. Kim suggested this could be construed as preferential treatment in return for favors.

Yonhap News Agency

Nominee Han explained, "The officetel had not been selling, so I put it up with a real estate agency, but no potential buyers showed up for a long time." She continued, "What kind of return could I possibly expect from the salon owner? I offered it because she expressed interest."

In response to criticism over renting the officetel at a low price before the sale, Nominee Han also said, "I have been renting out other studios in Yeongeon-dong at similarly low rates. I know that high rent is one of the biggest burdens for small business owners, and I did not want to make a living by charging high rent," adding, "(Through this case,) I learned that if you rent at a low price to family members, it could be considered a form of donation."

The ruling and opposition parties engaged in a heated debate over the officetel controversy. Lee Soyeong, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, argued, "When renting an officetel, do we really need to check whose hair the tenant used to style? Does the nominee gain anything if the rent is a few tens of thousands of won cheaper for such a person? Are we wasting a confirmation hearing on the kind of far-fetched speculation that even an elementary school student wouldn't make?"

On the other hand, Kang Seung-gyu, a People Power Party lawmaker, countered, "If the beauty salon owner who bought the officetel used to serve the former president’s wife, it is reasonable to suspect that nominee Han and the owner could have developed a relationship back when Han was a businessperson. In return, it is plausible to suspect that Han provided discounted rent or sold the property at a low price. If these suspicions are unfounded, they can simply be refuted."

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