Public Officials Ethics Committee Discloses Assets of 44 Members... Secretary General Seok Holds Half of Assets in Real Estate
[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Government Public Officials Ethics Committee disclosed the asset registration details of 44 high-ranking public officials on the 27th. This includes 17 newly appointed first-grade or higher high-ranking officials from October 2 to November 1 last year, 9 promotions, and 13 retirements.
Among the disclosed individuals, Seok Donghyun, Secretary General of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, reported the largest assets amounting to 9,492,680,000 KRW. Secretary Seok, a classmate of President Yoon Seok-yeol at Seoul National University Law School (class of '79), was appointed last October after serving as Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor General and co-representative of the Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea (Hanbyun).
President Yoon Suk-yeol and Seok Dong-hyun, Secretary General of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Of Secretary Seok's reported assets, real estate accounted for 54.3%, totaling 5,154,370,000 KRW. Under Secretary Seok's name are an apartment in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul valued at 3,465,000,000 KRW, a jeonse lease right for an apartment in Sincheon-dong, Songpa-gu worth 1,000,000,000 KRW, and a mixed-use residential-commercial building in Beomil-dong, Dong-gu, Busan valued at 284,020,000 KRW. An officetel in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul worth 400,000,000 KRW and land in Gwannin-myeon, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do valued at 5,350,000 KRW are registered under his spouse's name.
Financial assets, including deposits and securities, amounted to 6,048,010,000 KRW. Deposits under Secretary Seok's name totaled 3,927,370,000 KRW, and securities included 8,500 shares of the gaming company Playwith and 3,800 shares of the COVID-19 treatment developer Hyundai Bio, valued at approximately 386,710,000 KRW. He also holds a golf membership worth 31,000,000 KRW and 225g of 24K gold valued at 17,790,000 KRW.
Lee Choongsang, Standing Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission, registered assets worth 8,350,000,000 KRW, including a 107.47㎡ apartment in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul jointly owned with his spouse and deposits worth 2,800,000,000 KRW. Choi Heerak, Vice President for External Affairs at Pukyong National University, reported assets totaling 7,560,000,000 KRW. This includes seven real estate properties owned by the couple: an apartment of 182.87㎡ in Namcheon-dong, Suyeong-gu, Busan owned by him, a 68.91㎡ building in Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, and a 155.92㎡ apartment in Gyeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul owned by his spouse. Among minister-level officials, Ko Haksoo, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, declared assets worth 6,080,000,000 KRW, including a 532.53㎡ mixed-use residential-commercial building in Seobinggo-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul owned by his spouse.
Among retirees, the top asset holders were former Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Lee Seokbae with 5,432,310,000 KRW, former National Human Rights Commission Standing Commissioner Lee Sangcheol with 4,888,630,000 KRW, and former Director of the Intellectual Property Strategy Planning Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT Shin Junho with 2,846,510,000 KRW, in that order.
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