"Yoon's Father Sold House to Hwacheon Daeyu's Kim Man-bae Sister... Campaign 'Legal Action Against Bribery Claims'"

"Offered Below Market Price per Pyeong Due to Health Issues"

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] It has been reported that the father of Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate from the People Power Party and former Prosecutor General, sold a house in Yeonhui-dong to Kim Myeong-ok, the sister of Kim Man-bae, the largest shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu. In response, Yoon's campaign team explained, "The purchase was made through a real estate agent, and the seller is unknown."

The YouTube channel 'Open Sympathy TV' revealed on the 28th a real estate registry copy showing that Kim purchased the detached house in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, from Yoon's father. According to the document, Kim bought the house in April 2019 for 1.9 billion KRW. The land area of the house is 314㎡, with a price of about 20 million KRW per 3.3㎡.

Open Sympathy TV titled the broadcast "Hwacheon Daeyu, Bribery Suspicion Detected in Yoon Seok-yeol Case," raising suspicions of a "down payment contract." The channel stated in the broadcast, "There is no seller willing to sell, nor buyers eager to live there, so transactions generally do not occur," and added, "It appears that the transaction was made directly between the parties, not through a real estate agency."

In response, Yoon's side said, "We urgently listed the house at 20 million KRW per pyeong, which is lower than the market price, through about 10 nearby real estate agencies, and sold it after being introduced to about three buyers from one of them," adding, "Due to the father's health issues, the house was sold urgently at a price much lower than the market value."

They also stated, "Kim Myeong-ok was the individual contracting party and was introduced by a real estate agency, so naturally, we were unaware of her personal or financial background," and warned, "We will take strong legal action, both civil and criminal, against the allegations of bribery related to the urgent sale at 20 million KRW per pyeong, which was much lower than the market price due to health reasons."