[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Yoon Mi-hyang, the elected member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated regarding allegations related to housing transactions, "There was absolutely no embezzlement or misuse of funds from Jeong Dae-hyeop."
At a press conference held at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 29th, Yoon emphasized, "Including the auction purchase of the LG Apartment in Geumgok, Gwonseon-gu, Suwon, where I currently live, my family purchased five houses in cash. Regarding the suspicion that funds from Jeong Dae-hyeop were embezzled and used, such a thing absolutely did not happen."
Regarding the couple's housing, she said, "I understand that the three houses refer to the Myeongjin Art Villa and the Korean Apartment, both under my name and already sold, and the LG Geumgok Apartment where I currently live," adding, "In 1993, my husband and I combined our money and started our newlywed life with a jeonse deposit of 15 million won."
She continued, "From 1994 to 1997, I lived rent-free in the church parsonage where my parents lived and saved money. During that time, in 1995, I acquired Myeongjin Art Villa for 45 million won. In 1999, with savings from my husband and me and help from my family, we bought the Korean Apartment for 79 million won."
Myeongjin Art Villa was sold in 2002 for 39.5 million won, and in 2012, the Suwon Geumgok LG Apartment was acquired through auction. Yoon said, "At that time, my husband had undergone cancer surgery and wanted to move to a more comfortable place." She added, "He liked the apartment complex near Chilbosan but found the market price too high. Since it was a large complex, he thought there might be auction properties and started looking into auctions." The acquisition price was 226 million won.
Yoon explained, "After one failed auction, we were the sole bidders in the second auction. I did not know about the auction process; my husband handled it." The funds were covered by savings, her husband's money, and loans from family members.
Yoon stated, "The mixing of my personal account and Jeong Dae-hyeop's account occurred after 2014," adding, "The apartment auction acquisition happened in 2012. The claim that donation funds were misused is completely unfounded."
The Korean Apartment previously owned was sold in 2013, with the market price rising by 110 million won over 14 years, and the sale price was 189.5 million won. Yoon said, "With this money, we repaid the borrowed funds and saved the remainder."
Regarding the villa in Hamyang under her husband's name, she explained, "After my father-in-law passed away, my parents-in-law, who lived in a farmhouse under my sister-in-law's name, sold it in 2017 for 110 million won. My mother-in-law purchased a villa in downtown Hamyang under my husband's name for 85 million won to live comfortably alone." The balance was held by her spouse and deposited into Yoon's account on April 19, 2018.
About the apartment owned by her father, she said, "My father worked as a church deacon for about 22 years and lived in the church parsonage. Since there were no housing costs, he saved diligently and received his retirement pay after 22 years of service, using it to purchase the apartment where he currently lives for 47 million won."
Yoon emphasized, "The purchase of houses by me and my family is in no way related to Jeong Dae-hyeop activities."
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