Moon Administration 'House Price Statistics Manipulation' Allegations: Warrants for Yoon Seong-won and Lee Moon-gi Rejected... Prosecution Says "Hard to Accept"

Law: "No Risk of Escape or Evidence Destruction" vs Prosecution: "Power Crime, Unconvincing"

Following the court's dismissal of arrest warrants for Yoon Seong-won, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Lee Moon-gi, former Administrator of the Administrative City Construction Agency, in connection with allegations of manipulation of national statistics such as housing prices during the Moon Jae-in administration, the prosecution expressed its opposition.

Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office.

The Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office stated on the 9th, "Although the court acknowledged that the charges were substantiated based on the large amount of evidence secured during the investigation, it judged that it was difficult to recognize the risk of the suspects fleeing or destroying evidence," adding, "This judgment is hard to accept considering that this case involves a power-type organized crime committed by multiple people."

They continued, "We will continue the necessary investigations to clearly identify the participants and their roles."

On the previous day, Yoon Ji-sook, the judge in charge of warrants at the Daejeon District Court, dismissed the pre-arrest warrants requested by the prosecution against former Vice Minister Yoon and former Administrator Lee on charges including abuse of authority and violation of the Statistics Act.

Judge Yoon stated, "Considering that their residence, occupation, and family relations are stable and that they have responded sincerely to the investigation, it is difficult to see a risk of flight," and added, "The investigative agency has secured a large amount of evidence including testimonies from related parties, and it is difficult to conclude that there are specific circumstances indicating that witnesses were coerced or pressured to distort their statements, nor is there a concern about evidence destruction."

They are suspected of exerting undue influence on the Korea Real Estate Board to manipulate statistical figures and compelling them to perform duties beyond their obligations while serving as the first Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Director of the Housing and Land Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, respectively, during the Moon Jae-in administration.

Earlier, the Board of Audit and Inspection requested the prosecution to investigate 22 former government officials, including the Blue House (Presidential Secretariat) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, for having manipulated statistical figures at the Korea Real Estate Board at least 94 times from 2017 to 2021, as well as four former policy chiefs of the previous administration (Jang Ha-sung, Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Sang-jo, and Lee Ho-seung).