2 Officials from Ministry of Land and 11 from LH Refuse Personal Data Consent
Valid Reasons Like Overseas Stay Not Confirmed
Government "Continuing Efforts to Obtain Consent Forms"
On the 4th, people are moving in front of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) headquarters in Chungmugong-dong, Jinju-si, Gyeongnam. (Photo by Yonhap News)
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] During the investigation by the government joint investigation team into allegations of land speculation by public officials related to the 3rd phase new towns, it was revealed that a total of 13 employees from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) refused to consent to the use of their personal information for the purpose of verifying real estate transaction records without justifiable reasons.
According to the government on the 10th, MOLIT and LH collected consent forms for the provision of personal information from all employees by the previous day. The investigation team extracts transaction records by querying the names and resident registration numbers of public officials in the real estate management system, which requires the consent of the individuals for the use of their personal information.
In the case of MOLIT, out of a total of 4,509 employees, 4,503 (99.9%) consented, and 6 did not. Among the 6, 4 were due to overseas dispatch (2), overseas stay (1), and military service (1), but 2 refused consent without justifiable reasons.
For LH, out of a total of 9,839 employees, 9,799 (99.6%) consented, and 40 did not. Among the 40, excluding overseas stay (4), military service (22), and resignation (3), the reasons for refusal by 11 employees were not clearly identified.
It was confirmed that 13 LH employees suspected of speculating with over 10 billion KRW in the 6th 3rd phase new town, Gwangmyeong-Siheung district, submitted their consent forms.
A government official explained, "We are verifying the circumstances of those who did not submit consent forms and are continuing to persuade them to provide consent."
The government joint investigation team plans to announce the first phase investigation results regarding the 3rd phase new town speculation allegations targeting MOLIT and LH employees around the 11th.
The joint investigation team will transfer these results to the National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters and then begin the second phase of the investigation. The second phase will include not only public officials but also their direct relatives.
However, concerns have been raised that if the employees and their families do not consent to the use of personal information, it will be difficult to verify transaction records, potentially reducing the effectiveness of the investigation.
Although only 13 employees among MOLIT and LH’s investigation targets have refused consent so far, the number of refusals is expected to increase significantly as the investigation expands to spouses and direct ascendants and descendants.
In fact, voices both inside and outside MOLIT argue that requiring blanket consent for personal information use despite no suspicion of speculation is unfair.
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