[Anchor]

Suspicions have been raised that Defense Minister Nominee Kang Shin-chul made a false residence registration to receive a special housing allocation for displaced residents for an apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The nominee's side explained that while it is true his address did not match due to relocating for military service, it was not illegal subscription.

Reporter Choi Jae-yeong reports.

[Reporter]

This is an apartment complex located in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

Defense Minister Nominee Kang Shin-chul owns an 84-square-meter apartment in this complex, having received a special housing allocation for displaced residents in 2012.

Nominee Kang was previously gifted a detached house in Guro-gu, Seoul, from his father in 1997. In 2008, the Guro-gu Office purchased this house as compensation for the relocation of the Seoul Southern Detention Center. As the owner of a demolished house, Nominee Kang became eligible for the Seoul displaced resident special housing allocation, which is granted to residents registered in Seoul.

However, lawmaker Chun Ha-ram of the Reform Party raised suspicions of a false address transfer by Nominee Kang.

In 2007, when he was a lieutenant colonel, Nominee Kang was assigned to a military unit in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, and initially moved his registration to the military apartment there. However, in March 2008, he registered his address back at the gifted house in Guro, Seoul, maintained that address for one year and two months, and then moved his registration back to the Hwacheon military apartment in May 2009.

The criticism is whether this was a false address transfer to acquire displaced resident eligibility during the housing compensation purchase by the Guro-gu Office in 2008.

[Chun Ha-ram / Lawmaker, Reform Party: The subscription price at the time was 520 million won, but the current market price reaches a whopping 2.2 billion won.]

Nominee Kang's side explained that it was a fault that his actual residence and resident registration did not match due to the nature of military service requiring relocations, but added, "In 2008, Nominee Kang had to serve at a frontline outpost, so there was a circumstance where he had to leave the official residence."

They also emphasized that under the Land Compensation Act, in cases of "official duties," eligibility for displaced residents could be acquired by explaining the situation even without actual residence, asserting that there was no intent to falsely register or any illegality in the subscription process.

(Video reporting: Kim Heung-ki, Video editing: Kim Jin-won, Design: Lee Jong-jung, Hwang Se-yeon)