- Title transfers usually happen upon receiving the balance... Questions bound to arise
- Seems title needed transfer within this month to get full market value
- Why is only the President's apartment traded in such a bizarre manner?
- President lives in official residence, so no constraints on balance payment timing
- Did he really sell at a lower profit? Further explanation is obviously needed
- President even called profit-makers 'demons' amid loan limits... Must be thoroughly verified
- 'No market beats government'? Since President Lee took office, real estate prices keep rising
- Kim Yong-beom, who introduced single-stock leverage, must be dismissed
- Special Prosecutor Act passed... Special prosecutor appointment procedure is crucial

■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5MHz 7:00–9:00 AM)
■ Date: July 22, 2026 (Wednesday)
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Representative Kwak Gyu-taek (People Power Party)

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: The People Power Party is criticizing President Lee Jae-myung's mortgage creation on his apartment as double standards. Let's talk about what the issue is with Representative Kwak Gyu-taek, who also serves as the chair of the People Power Party's Legal Affairs Committee. Hello, Representative.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Hello, this is Kwak Gyu-taek.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Representative, first of all, there is controversy over the mortgage created on the President's apartment in Bundang.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Yes.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Which aspect do you see as the biggest problem?

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: I see two main issues. First, the purchase price is said to be around 2.9 billion won, and originally there was a jeonse tenant with a deposit of about 1.15 billion won.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: But in this sale, he transferred the registration of ownership while establishing a maximum mortgage. Based on that, the claim amount is likely around 1.5 billion won. That means he handed over the title quickly after receiving only the down payment. But as the anchor knows well, in typical real estate transactions, the balance payment and ownership transfer are simultaneous obligations, aren't they?

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: So normally, it is standard to transfer ownership upon receiving the balance. Naturally, questions arise as to why he hurriedly transferred the ownership title despite not having received a large portion of the payment.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: The Presidential Office explained that it was out of consideration for the buyer's circumstances. However, the Yangji Village in Bundang, where this apartment is located, is being pushed for reconstruction. Put simply, an issue arises where the occupancy rights can only be exercised if ownership is registered within this month. So the question is whether he had to transfer the title within that window in order to sell it at full market value.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Another point is that the government is imposing severe loan regulations on real estate. For an apartment worth 2.9 billion won, the loan limit is reportedly only 200 million won. Due to these credit restrictions, people who want to buy cannot buy, and those who want to sell cannot sell. Yet, the President effectively sold his apartment by providing private financing. This naturally raises suspicions about whether the buyer is an ordinary buyer or someone with a special relationship.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: First of all, the Presidential Office stated that the President and the buyer have never met and are not acquaintances.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Right.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: As the head of the legal affairs committee, is there any illegal element in this transaction?

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: I think we need to verify a bit more. However, it is true that at this point, it is difficult to definitively conclude that this constitutes a violation of law.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Nonetheless, while ordinary citizens face severe loan restrictions and struggle with real estate transactions, it is only natural to question why only the apartment owned by the President is being traded in such a bizarre manner.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Looking at it from the President's perspective, one could think: "I am not an owner of two homes, so I didn't strictly have to sell it. But because I made a promise to the public, I put it up for sale at a low price. If I hadn't sold it, the price would have gone up even more with reconstruction. I sold it cheaply without seeking economic gain, and merely showed consideration for the buyer's difficult situation. Why launch a political offensive over this?" One might see it that way.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: But look at it this way: when ordinary citizens buy and sell a home they reside in, they usually secure a new house first, sell their current home, and align the timing of the balance payment to move. But the President currently resides in the Presidential Office. Since he already has a place to live, he faces no constraints on the timing of balance payments when buying or selling real estate. The public feels how severely loan regulations are distorting the real estate market, yet the President in the Presidential Office feels none of it and acts as if there is no issue. By tightening loan regulations on citizens while claiming he has no problems because he resides in the Presidential Office, he is talking as if living in a different world. Therefore, I believe this is naturally a point of political criticism.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: So are you saying that the issue is not so much that the President sacrificed his own gain to accommodate the buyer, but rather the hypocrisy of blocking bank loans for others while creating an effect similar to providing a loan when selling his own house?

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Yes, the latter point is certainly true as well. But regarding the first point: did the President really sell it at a lower profit?

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Because it was reported he put it up for sale cheaply.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: If transferring ownership before late July was necessary to sell it at full price, providing such accommodations to sell quickly was also necessary for the President to get full value, wasn't it?

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Is that so?

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Yes.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. What additional explanation do you think the Presidential Office needs to provide?

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: I think further explanation is naturally required. If the remaining transaction amount of 1.5 billion won is indeed scheduled to be paid in October, we need to verify how interest up to that point was set and in what manner the other party agreed to make this payment in a transaction with the President.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: This is because while the President heavily restricts loans in the real estate market, he even goes so far as to describe anyone making even a small profit in that market as a "demon." So I believe thorough verification is necessary regarding these matters.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: In short, you are suggesting that in selling his house, the President essentially bypassed his own government's loan regulations.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Naturally, yes.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: I see. From the opposition's perspective, what do you see as the biggest problem with the Lee Jae-myung administration's real estate policy?

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: I think loan regulations are a problem, and approaching the real estate market purely through taxation issues is very dangerous. It seems the stance of the President and Presidential Office is that "no market beats the government," believing the government can proactively dictate the market.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: On the other hand, since President Lee took office, real estate prices have continued to rise, jeonse (lump-sum deposit rentals) has dried up, and monthly rents have skyrocketed, leaving young people unable to find housing. Seeing the market distorted for over a year, the government must first change its mindset that it can manipulate the market at will.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: I think that mindset is also what brought about the issue of single-stock leverage in the stock market. The government should value market functions and limit its role to market adjustments, rather than holding the fundamental belief that the President and government can dictate all real estate and stock prices as they please.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Representative, speaking of leverage, the President mentioned yesterday that supplementary measures should be drawn up swiftly and thoroughly.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Yes.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: In doing so, the President also said, "Because the introduction of single-stock leverage ETFs coincided with a sharp surge phase, it seems to have created an optical illusion as if this was the sole cause of the serious problem." That was his diagnosis and order for countermeasures yesterday. How did you hear his remarks on this?

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Well, experts are pointing out the specific harms in detail, yet the President described it as an "optical illusion."

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: However, regarding single-stock leverage, even government officials, including the Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, are suggesting that its introduction itself may have been flawed.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Yet Kim Yong-beom, the Chief Presidential Secretary for Policy who spearheaded its introduction, acknowledges there were issues with the rollout but claims it cannot be delisted now, offering only minimal supplementary measures.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: But as you know, this single-stock leverage product, into which around 10 trillion won has flowed, is now dominating our stock market, isn't it?

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: That's true.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Regarding this matter, the Presidential Office and the government should take a humble stance rather than making excuses about "optical illusions," and seriously consider options up to and including delisting.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Do you believe personnel action should be taken against Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom?

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: I certainly think so. He is the person who bears the greatest responsibility for the current distortions in both the real estate and stock markets. Was it during last year's parliamentary audit? Seeing him explode in anger at the National Assembly made me wonder whether he was suitable for such a critical position guiding national policy. It has now become clear that he introduced overly aggressive policies without taking responsibility, so I believe he should be dismissed immediately.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. Final question, Representative: the ruling and opposition parties agreed on a special prosecutor for the National Election Commission (NEC).

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Yes.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: While an agreement was reached on how to appoint the special prosecutor, the two parties still differ on the scope, targets, and duration of the investigation. What is the People Power Party's position?

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Although the infringement of suffrage in this election surfaced through the shortage of ballot papers, there appear to be various underlying issues in the process leading up to it. Aside from the NEC's own administrative negligence and flawed systems, the NEC itself assesses that the election management system has been severely overloaded ever since the early voting system was introduced.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Therefore, a thorough investigation must be conducted to uncover the root causes that led to the shortage of ballot papers. I believe the Special Prosecutor Act should encompass a broad enough scope to cover all these aspects.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Moreover, since the special prosecutor's determination to uncover these facts is crucial, the selection process for the special prosecutor will naturally be extremely important.

▷ [Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. We will conclude today's interview here. That was Representative Kwak Gyu-taek of the People Power Party. Thank you.

▶ [Kwak Gyu-taek]: Thank you.

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