Lee Hyung-il Expresses Regret Over Vacant Gwacheon Apartment Controversy, Maintains It Was Bought for Actual Residence

Lee Hyung-il, nominee for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy, addressed the controversy today (the 15th) regarding his non-residence in an apartment in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, stating, "I feel apologetic for any aspects that fell short of the public's expectations."

Nominee Lee made the remarks during a confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly's Finance and Economy Committee, addressing the fact that he has lived in the apartment for only four months out of the 17 years he has owned it.

However, refuting the suspicion of a "gap investment" raised mainly by the opposition party, he explained the circumstances at the time of purchasing the apartment and countered, "I bought it with the actual intent to reside there."

Nominee Lee stated, "Around January 2009, while living in Pyeongchon, I was notified to work at the Blue House." He added, "At that time, the atmosphere required leaving for work from early morning, so I hastily found a rented home in Gwacheon in February of the same year."

He continued, "Later, I purchased an apartment that fit our circumstances and where we could actually live, but since I had already rented and was living in a home in Gwacheon, I could not move into the purchased apartment right away."

Nominee Lee's side explained that circumstances making it difficult for him to directly reside in the apartment continued thereafter.

Nominee Lee relocated his residence to Daejeon in December 2012 following the Ministry of Finance and Economy's relocation to Sejong City, and from 2015, he was dispatched overseas to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for three years.

During the remaining periods, he lived in rented housing in Anyang, Gwacheon, and Seoul, Gyeonggi Province.

Regarding the purchase of the apartment while a lease was attached at the time, he stated, "The purchase price was 420 million won, and the lease deposit was around 110 million won," adding, "I purchased it without taking out any loans."

At the same time, he emphasized, "As a lifelong single-home owner, I have held (the apartment) for a long time, and I wanted to keep living there, but circumstances made it difficult."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.