Lawmaker accuses justice minister nominee of building code violation, false asset declaration

People Power Party lawmaker Ju Jin-woo on Monday raised allegations of building code violations and a false asset declaration against Lee Yong-cheol, the nominee for justice minister, and urged prosecutors to investigate.

Ju held a press conference at the National Assembly, claiming that Lee had illegally installed a container structure on agricultural land at 69-2 Bonghyeon-ri, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, in violation of the Building Act. Ju also alleged that when Lee registered his assets as head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), he declared the plot — zoned as farmland — as "land with a building" related to flora and fauna, rather than as agricultural land.

According to a property registry obtained by Ju, Lee purchased the single parcel of farmland at Bonghyeon-ri 69-2 in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, for 70 million won ($50,600) on May 25, 2021, and the land is still officially zoned as agricultural. A real estate information map maintained by the Korea Land and Housing Corporation shows no registered building on the plot.

"An on-site inspection found an illegal container structure on the farmland — one that could not have received a building permit," Ju said. "Installing an unpermitted container constitutes a violation of the Building Act."

Ju added that the rusted, unpermitted container held only a scattering of materials in disarray and bore no resemblance to a legitimate facility for flora or fauna. "In particular, it appears that when Lee registered his assets as DAPA chief, he listed the Bonghyeon-ri 69-2 farmland as 'land with a building' related to flora and fauna — what looks like a scheme to sidestep suspicions of farmland speculation," Ju said.

Ju noted that Lee had been running a law office when he purchased the farmland in May 2021, and had served as DAPA chief since November 2025, leaving him in no position to farm the land himself. "Some crops are planted there now, but they are not being properly tended," Ju said. "A clear investigation is needed to determine whether this land is being used for farming or speculation, and who has actually been cultivating it."

Ju also noted that the adjacent parcels — Bonghyeon-ri 69 and 69-7 in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province — were purchased by Lee in November 2016 as a country house with land, then transferred to his daughter in July 2020. "The 69-2 farmland effectively serves as the front yard of the country house his daughter received," Ju said. "The purpose of holding this farmland will inevitably come under scrutiny."

"How can a justice minister nominee who installed an illegal structure in violation of the Building Act, and falsely declared farmland as 'land with a building' in breach of the Public Service Ethics Act, tell the public to obey the law?" Ju said, and went on to say, "A nominee for justice minister cannot be beyond the reach of investigators."