Defense minister nominee's confirmation clouded by evictee-rights speculation scandal

Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-chul, once expected to sail through his National Assembly confirmation hearing, is now mired in allegations of housing speculation tied to evictee rights, casting doubt over his Sept. 16 hearing. Even if Kang manages to take office despite the controversy, the allegations are likely to dog him throughout his tenure and undercut his leadership as the country's top defense official.

Cheon Ha-ram, acting leader and floor leader of the Reform Party, raised the allegations at a National Assembly press conference Thursday, claiming Kang, along with his father, older brother and aunt, used fraudulent address registrations to qualify as evictees and apply for special-supply apartment subscriptions in Seoul. Such "evictee-rights speculation" refers to an investment scheme in which people cheaply acquire old housing or specific rights, then use them to secure entitlement to a new apartment during redevelopment or reconstruction, betting on a rise in value.

Kang once drew praise as a commander with philosophical depth. In his 2023 inaugural address as deputy commander of the Republic of Korea-US Combined Forces Command, he quoted Goethe's "Faust" and Thucydides' "History of the Peloponnesian War," declaring that "words become meaning, meaning becomes power, and power becomes action," while calling for a "renaissance" of the Korea-US alliance.

Known for his gentle disposition and deep interest in history and music, Kang was regarded before his retirement from the military as both a strategic mind and a respected leader, with expertise in combined and joint operations, military strategy and defense policy.

But the housing-speculation allegations are tarnishing that reputation. While stationed in Gangwon Province in 2008, Kang moved his registered address to Cheonwang-dong in Guro-gu, Seoul, and used that status to receive an apartment in Seocho-gu's Umyeon-dong through a special-supply subscription. His father acquired a Seocho-gu apartment the same way. His older brother applied for special supply for an apartment in Guro-gu, and his aunt for one in Seocho-gu. It also emerged that Kang's father, two days before applying for the special-supply subscription, gave away a house in Jeju to an acquaintance for 300,000 won ($224) — apparently to meet the one-home ownership requirement — only to buy it back two years later.

The opposition estimates that the assets amassed by Kang and his family through this scheme now total in the tens of billions of won. Kang's own apartment, originally sold at a pre-sale price in the range of 500 million won, is now worth more than 2 billion won at market price. His father's apartment has climbed to around 1.3 billion won, and his brother's to around 900 million won. Adding to the controversy, Kang's eldest son reportedly borrowed 715.5 million won from his aunt and her husband in June to purchase a commercial unit in a reconstruction project in Bundang. The revelations have fueled mockery rather than mere criticism, with critics branding it "three generations, five people cashing in on evictee rights." Concerns are also mounting that the hearing could turn into a toothless review, as the ruling party has rejected witnesses requested by the opposition.

Kang's camp has denied any wrongdoing, saying, "All the family members and relatives who lived in Cheonwang-dong were in fact eligible for eviction compensation, and the special-supply subscriptions were carried out through proper procedures." Regarding the son's purchase of the commercial unit, it maintained that "the transaction was normal and complied with all legal and tax requirements."