[Column] No Young-min Who Said 'Sell the House,' Targeted Kim Jo-won?

(From left) Noh Young-min, Chief of Staff to the President, Kim Jo-won, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sunhee] "Actually, there is only one target."

Last December, when Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min's recommendation to "sell houses for multi-homeowners" was first issued, an aide said this in private. What did it mean? The recommendation, which Noh emphasized by leading by example, was actually aimed at Kim Jo-won, the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, who owned two apartments in the prime Gangnam area.

Looking back, that was indeed the case. Noh set the criteria as the "metropolitan area," which is neither a speculative overheated zone nor a regulated area. Naturally, he slightly excluded himself, as he owned apartments in Seoul and Cheongju. While urging active participation, he also added a premise that exceptions would be made for "unavoidable reasons." The aides identified as multi-homeowners at the time each gave reasons such as "it's a pre-sale right," "I will return to Sejong City," or "my children live there" to get out of it. The only one who remained silent was Senior Secretary Kim.

Noh has unpleasant memories regarding Kim. At the end of 2015, Kim received a heavy disciplinary action following the so-called "forced purchase" incident. This caused him to miss the chance to win a fourth-term seat just before the general election. The person who decided this was Kim, who was then serving as the head of the party's audit office.

Both men were born in 1957 and are the same age. Organizationally, Noh is Kim's superior. However, Kim is known as a close friend of President Moon Jae-in, having gone hiking together and held couple gatherings when Moon was a private citizen. Even if Noh is considered Moon's "political close aide," Kim is psychologically much closer.

When Kim joined the Blue House in July last year, naturally, attention turned to Noh's expression. As expected, there were frequent reports that the two openly clashed during internal meetings. Amid this, at the end of October last year, Kim's occasional asset disclosures were made public. Noh's recommendation to "sell houses" came about a month and a half later.

Because of this background, among the aides, Noh's recommendation was interpreted as having a personal "intent," and it was predicted that Kim, who surely knew this, would never sell.

Only Noh himself knows the truth of the "intent," but in reality, it turned out that way. While some of the aides who were also named sold their houses, Kim firmly held on. He gave no explanation for why he did not sell. The Blue House's conclusion was an embarrassing and trivial one: "It was never mandatory."

The aftermath is not trivial. June 17, when the government announced its 22nd real estate measure, was exactly six months after Noh's recommendation. Coincidentally, it matched the deadline set by the Blue House for compliance. Naturally, the real estate holdings of Blue House aides became a hot topic again. While the government declared a "war on real estate speculation," the fact that senior officials in the Blue House still insist on holding multiple homes is beyond disheartening?it is almost a comedy.

Inside the Blue House, there is cynicism that the recommendation of the "number two" Chief of Staff can be easily laughed off, and to the real estate market, it sent a strong message that "the one who endures wins." The only thing left for the public who hoped for change is disappointment. It seems that until the Moon Jae-in administration ends, the resolution of multi-homeowners will conclude with "absolutely not selling."