[Anchor]

At the confirmation hearing for Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister nominee Hong Ji-seon held yesterday (September 16), the opposition party took issue with an apartment in Guro-gu, Seoul, that Hong purchased with loans. The Democratic Party hit back, calling it an attempt to create a political frame.

Reporter Park Jae-yeon reports.

[Reporter]

Hong Ji-seon, the nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, underwent a parliamentary confirmation hearing.

He pointed to the "shortage of housing supply" as the most urgent task to resolve.

When asked how he would score the real estate policies of the Lee Jae-myung administration, Hong avoided giving a direct answer, prompting an opposition lawmaker to make a sarcastic remark.

[Hong Ji-seon / Nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "I do not think it is appropriate for me to answer that."]

[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 could not answer because he was a humanities major."]

The People Power Party pointed out that Hong applied for apartment subscriptions in Seoul seven times while serving as the head of the Urban and Housing Office of Gyeonggi Province. The party also argued that Hong made a "yeongkkeul" (taking out every possible loan) purchase of an apartment in Guro-gu, Seoul, last year by borrowing money even from his in-laws, questioning whether he is telling the public to live in public rental housing while buying a Seoul apartment for himself.

[Jeong Hee-yong / People Power Party Lawmaker: "I believe this is nothing short of duplicitous behavior—emphasizing the public nature of housing (in front of the public), yet treating housing as a means of personal asset accumulation."]

Hong explained that he was not seeking capital gains, while a Democratic Party lawmaker defended him by noting that the home was purchased after moving between five different jeonse (lump-sum deposit lease) rentals, launching a counterattack against the People Power Party.

[Moon Jeong-bok / Democratic Party Lawmaker: "Both husband and wife are high-ranking public officials. Yet, after nearly 20 years, they finally bought a home. And that was with a loan. Why are you placing such a dirty frame on the nominee?"]

When asked whether he would maintain the land transaction permit system, Hong replied that he is concerned about adverse side effects if it is lifted. He also stated that plans to supply housing on the site of Yongsan Park require consultation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and legislation by the National Assembly.

The Democratic Party praised Nominee Hong Ji-seon as the right person for housing, urban, and transportation policy, while the People Power Party criticized the nomination as severe hypocrisy and double standards, demanding that it be withdrawn.

Camera by Lee Seung-hwan | Video edited by Wi Won-yang