Reform Party acting leader says police probe into Lee Hye-hoon's alleged fraudulent apartment subscription has gone silent for 8 months

Cheon Ha-ram, acting leader of the Reform Party, called on the government Monday to reclaim the apartment obtained by former Ministry of Planning and Budget Minister Nominee Lee Hye-hoon through an alleged fraudulent subscription, saying the era of nominees tainted by such allegations must end.

Writing on his Facebook page, Cheon said it had been eight months since Lee was found to have acquired a unit at Raemian One Pentas in Seocho-gu, Seoul, through an allegedly fraudulent apartment subscription. "Since police launched an investigation in February, there has been no word whatsoever," he said.

He added that Lee's family had been living in the Gangnam apartment — obtained through the alleged fraud — for two years, and that its market value had since climbed past 10 billion won ($7.47 million).

Turning to police, Cheon said, "What on earth are the police doing? Was it not made crystal clear at the confirmation hearing that her married son was registered as a dependent by falsely listing him as unmarried?"

He also directed criticism at the government by invoking Defense Ministry Nominee Kang Shin-cheol. "Why is the Lee Jae Myung administration standing idly by? Is it shielding him to the end simply because the president nominated him?" Cheon said. "That is why it comes as no surprise that someone like Defense Ministry Nominee Kang Shin-cheol — who also allegedly committed fraudulent subscription — gets nominated again."

Cheon focused squarely on allegations that Kang obtained an apartment in Seocho-gu through a special allocation reserved for displaced residents. "They want to put someone who was serving in the military in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, yet used a false address registration in Seoul to obtain an apartment through a special displaced-residents allocation — as defense minister," he said. "And it was not just him alone — his entire family ran a joint operation to secure four displaced-resident certificates."

"The Lee Jae Myung administration is the golden age of minister nominees with fraudulent apartment subscriptions," Cheon said, urging police to swiftly conclude their investigation into Lee and refer the case to prosecutors.

He also warned President Lee Jae Myung directly, calling on him to withdraw the nomination of Kang, whom he described as having committed a more egregious fraudulent subscription than Lee Hye-hoon. "If this double standard continues, approval ratings will sink even lower than they are now," Cheon said.