Justice Party: "Government's LH Measures Announcement Is Like Closing the Barn After the Horse Is Stolen"

Jung Hojin, Chief Spokesperson of the Justice Party, is holding a briefing on the dismissal issue of a former secretary from Representative Ryu Hojung's office at the National Assembly Communication Center on the 1st. Photo by Yoon Dongju doso7

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The Justice Party criticized the government's announcement of measures regarding the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) employees' speculative investment scandal in new towns on the 7th, calling it "closing the barn after the horse has bolted."

Chief Spokesperson Jeong Hojin said in a briefing that afternoon, "The public is still puzzled as to why such measures were not implemented earlier," expressing this view on the government's recurrence prevention plan announced today.

Jeong pointed out, "This is not the first time that government and public enterprise employees have engaged in land speculation using development information," adding, "During the construction of the 1st and 2nd new towns, joint investigations revealed cases where public officials purchased land using information about planned development sites, similar to the current speculation."

He continued, "Various speculative acts have occurred since the development era, but it can only be seen that the government has been defenseless against public officials' speculation using development information for 32 years since the 1st new town in 1989," emphasizing, "While understanding the government's urgency, it is not too late to reveal the full details of this incident and prepare institutional improvement measures."

Jeong especially criticized the inclusion of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which is the subject of investigation, as a member of the joint investigation team. He said, "It is being labeled as 'scapegoating' and 'leniency,'" and added, "While we need to observe the investigation results, it is inappropriate to carry seeds of further controversy."

He further stated, "Today, the government emphasized its stance on promoting the 2.4 real estate policy. Trust in the government-led supply policy is completely shaken, yet they intend to push forward with a 'blind supply policy' that could encourage speculation. This raises doubts about whether they are properly recognizing the essence of the situation," adding, "If they rush to cover up the situation with the upcoming by-elections in mind, it will only pour fuel on the public's outrage."