[Anchor]

At the confirmation hearing for Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister nominee Hong Ji-sun, an opposition lawmaker sarcastically asked, "Are you also a humanities major?" after Hong avoided giving a direct answer evaluating real estate policies. The ruling party pushed back against the opposition for criticizing Hong's "yeongggeul" (borrowing to the hilt) purchase of a Seoul apartment, calling it a "dirty frame."

Reporter Park Jae-yeon reports.

[Reporter]

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Hong Ji-sun attended his National Assembly confirmation hearing.

He identified a "housing supply shortage" as the most urgent issue to resolve.

When asked how many points he would give in evaluating the Lee Jae-myung administration's real estate policies, he dodged giving an immediate answer, prompting an opposition lawmaker to make a sarcastic remark.

[Hong Ji-sun / Nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "I believe it is not appropriate to answer that way."]

[Kim Eun-hye / People Power Party Lawmaker: "Are you a humanities major, nominee? You are not a humanities major. Yesterday, nominee Kim Seung-won claimed he couldn't answer because he was a humanities major."]

The People Power Party pointed out that while serving as the Director General of the Urban Housing Office for Gyeonggi Province, Hong applied for Seoul apartment subscriptions seven times. They also noted that he bought an apartment in Guro-gu, Seoul, last year by borrowing money even from his in-laws in a "yeongggeul" purchase, questioning whether he expects citizens to live in public rental housing while buying a Seoul apartment for himself.

[Jeong Hee-yong / People Power Party Lawmaker: "I think this is nothing short of two-faced behavior, emphasizing the public nature of housing (in front of the public) while treating housing as a means of wealth accumulation for himself."]

Hong clarified that he was not seeking capital gains, and Democratic Party lawmakers came to his defense, explaining that the home was purchased only after moving between five different jeonse (lump-sum deposit lease) residences, and launched a counterattack against the People Power Party.

[Moon Jeong-bok / Democratic Party Lawmaker: "The couple are senior public officials. Yet, after nearly 20 years, they finally bought a house, and that was with a loan. Why put such a dirty frame on the nominee?"]

When asked whether he would maintain the land transaction permit system, Hong answered that he is concerned about adverse side effects if it is lifted. Regarding housing supply plans on the Yongsan Park site, he stated that discussions with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and legislative action by the National Assembly are necessary.

The Democratic Party hailed Hong Ji-sun as the right person for housing, urban, and transportation policy, while the People Power Party labeled the nomination a blatant case of double standards and demanded its withdrawal.

(Video by Lee Seung-hwan | Video Editing by Wi Won-yang)