Lee Heon-uk, head of Korea Real Estate Board, to investigate alleged surveillance of civilians under Moon administration after parliamentary audit

[Financial News] Regarding allegations of “surveillance” targeting civilians who criticized government policy, Lee Heon-uk, head of the Korea Real Estate Board, said he would examine the facts after the parliamentary audit schedule concludes and submit the findings to the National Assembly in writing.
Lee appeared at the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee audit on the 15th and said, “I will conduct a detailed investigation after the audit is over,” in response to allegations that the Moon Jae-in administration surveilled civilians.
The allegations first emerged at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s audit on the 7th. Kim Eun-hye of the People’s Power Party presented a document said to have been compiled in November 2019 and titled “Status of Real Estate Experts.” She alleged that the Korea Appraisal Board, acting on the ministry’s instructions, examined and reported on the remarks, real estate holdings and purchase processes of 19 civilians critical of government policy. Kim’s side believes the instructions came from the ministry’s Housing Policy Division at the time, while the Appraisal Board’s Housing Statistics Department actually prepared the document. At a press conference with reporters at the National Assembly the next day, the People’s Power Party said the document included journalists, businesspeople, well-known YouTubers and others, and announced plans for party-level legal action. Kim also called for former Land Minister Kim Hyun-mi and others to be summoned as witnesses at the comprehensive audit. 
Meanwhile, officials from the ministry and the Appraisal Board at the time denied the allegations at the audit on the 7th. Lee Dong-hwan, now head of the Korea Real Estate Board’s Chuncheon branch, who led the department that prepared the document, also said he had never looked up any particular person’s real estate assets and that the department did not even have authority to access such information. 
Lee explained, “If I directly investigate an employee who has been summoned as a witness for the parliamentary audit, or whose selection as a witness has been requested, I could easily be suspected of trying to manipulate the witness’s testimony,” adding, “It could lead to allegations that I improperly influenced the audit.”
He also disclosed what had been established so far. Lee said, “I haven’t personally investigated the details at this point; I’ve only made inquiries through managers to get a sense of the circumstances.”
Lee also cited the fact that only a week remained until the comprehensive audit. He said, “It doesn’t seem practically possible to conduct a detailed investigation in that time,” adding, “Waiting another week won’t change the facts.”

[email protected] Jeong Gyeong-su Reporter