Kim Kyung-man, a Democrat
It was revealed on the 10th that Kim Kyung-man and Bae Mo, the wife of a Democratic Party lawmaker, split and purchased the land in Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do. The land where Bae lived is about 5km away from the area of Gwarim-dong, where the 3rd new towns of Gwangmyeong and Siheung will be built. Rep. Kim apologized, saying, “I will immediately dispose of it without any conditions.”
In the property registration and registration copy of Rep. Kim disclosed to the National Assembly Public Service Ethics Committee, it is revealed that his wife, Bae, bought about 50 pyeong of forest in Janghyeon-dong, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do in October 2016 and November 2018. Rep. Kim said, “It was bought by a spouse at the recommendation of an acquaintance of the church, and I learned it while registering the property of a candidate for proportional representative in the 21st general election last year.” Rep. Kim was elected the second proportional representative of the Citizen’s Party in the 21st general election. He said, “At the time of discovery, we requested the sale to a brokerage company, but the deal has not been concluded yet.”
Land in Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, purchased by the wife of the Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Kyung-man in 2016 (left) and 2018. Naver Map Capture
The places that sold this land to Mr. Bae were planning real estate companies that introduced themselves as “selling profitable land in the metropolitan area.” These companies split and sold the purchased land, but the land Bae bought in 2016 had 47 co-owners, and 105 people bought the land in 2018. Bae bought the land for 24.6 million won in 2016 and 26 million won in 2018.
Rep. Kim issued a statement on the 10th stating, “It was before I was admitted to the National Assembly, and although it is a small real estate in the name of my spouse, I should have been actively selling it.”
Rep. Kim’s suspicion of speculation on land in the third new city was the second case after the Democratic Party started a thorough investigation on the 8th. On the 9th, it was confirmed that the mother of Democratic Party lawmaker Yang Yi Won-young purchased land near the third new town in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do in August 2019. The Democratic Party is receiving voluntary reports from its members of the National Assembly, aides, and their families to see if they have land in the 3rd new town and nearby areas.
Rep. Yang said on the 9th, “I was sorry for the people,” saying, “I did not know if my mother owned the forest near the 3rd new city until the recent LH incident occurred.” He also said, “My mother was introduced to nearby acquaintances as being worth the investment, so it seems that they invested together,” he said. “I will dispose of the real estate I own, including the forest.”
Reporter Song Seung-hwan [email protected]
