Blue House Chunchu-gwan Director Enmeshed in Illegal Extension Controversy

Kim Sang-ho, Director of the Chunchu-gwan at the Blue House, addressed the controversy surrounding the alleged illegal extension of his home yesterday (August 10), stating, "When I purchased the property, part of the parking lot had already been converted into a studio apartment," and adding, "I was unaware that the section was an unregistered building."

Director Kim released this statement to the press after reports surfaced that the first floor of the multi-family housing unit he owns in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, had been unlawfully remodeled for residential use and was being used to generate rental income.

Kim explained, "I did not personally carry out the extension or instruct anyone to do so," adding, "I became aware of the situation in the process of finding a tenant."

He continued, "While continuously trying to sell the house since 2018, I failed to actively pursue the relevant procedures due to concerns over the burden of increasing the number of housing units," and stated, "I take heavily to heart the fact that I failed to promptly carry out the necessary administrative procedures as a result."

Sharing a policy case where Gangnam-gu decided last June to legalize small-scale buildings with unauthorized extensions following Seoul's floor area ratio increase, Kim stated, "We plan to actively push forward with the legalization process after a review by experts such as architects," and added, "We will faithfully implement the necessary measures in accordance with relevant laws and administrative procedures."

A former journalist, Kim formed a connection with President Lee Jae-myung in 2017 when Lee served as the mayor of Seongnam, and has since handled public relations duties for a long period.

After serving for about a year as the inaugural Chunchu-gwan director following President Lee's inauguration, he recently submitted his resignation for personal reasons.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.