"‘Capital Gains Are a Crime’ Controversy: So Byung-hoon Now Says ‘Monthly Rent Is a Completely Legitimate System’"

Rep. So Byung-hoon of the Democratic Party of Korea, who sparked controversy with his claim that "capital gains are a crime," has now advocated for monthly rent.

On the 3rd, during a plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, Rep. So said, "Why should this (the jeonse system) exist only in South Korea and a few other countries? I question why ordinary people have to suffer because of this issue."

At the meeting, Rep. So asked Byun Chang-hoom, president of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), "How many countries in the world have the jeonse system?" and then made the above statement.

Rep. So continued, "If the conversion from jeonse to monthly rent is done at an appropriate rate, the monthly rent system is not problematic at all," adding, "If you don't have the money for jeonse, you have to take out a loan from a financial institution and pay interest to the financial institution, right?"

Previously, Rep. So had caused controversy with remarks such as "capital gains are a crime" and "thieves who stole happiness rights," and on Facebook, he claimed, "I said that speculators who disrupt the housing market should be punished as criminals. Was that statement wrong?"

At the meeting, he clarified, "My remarks were aimed at those who repeatedly buy and sell houses to seek capital gains through hit-and-run tactics. Those who honestly increase their assets and own homes have absolutely no relation to what I said," and added, "If anyone was hurt by my words, I sincerely apologize."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.