Half of Cheonan and Asan City Council Members Are Multiple Homeowners... Some Own Up to 16 Houses

Asan City Council Member B Owns 6 Houses...Lives in Rental Within City Despite Owning Houses Outside

Among the city council members in Cheonan and Asan, Chungnam, half are multi-homeowners owning two or more houses, and some have been found to own houses outside the jurisdiction while living in rental properties within the area.

On the 2nd, the Cheonan Asan Economic Justice Practice Citizens' Coalition disclosed the housing ownership details under the names of the council members and their spouses in Cheonan and Asan based on the 'Chungcheongnam-do Public Officials Ethics Committee Property Registration Disclosure Details.'

As a result, among the 27 members of the Cheonan City Council, 4 members (15%) were found to be without housing, and 12 members (46%) were multi-homeowners. Among the Asan City Council members, 2 members (12%) were without housing, and 10 members (59%) were multi-homeowners.

In particular, 6 members of the Cheonan City Council were identified as owning three or more houses, with Council Member A owning 16 apartments alone. In the Asan City Council, 2 members owned three or more houses, and Council Member B held 6 properties including apartments, multi-family houses, and officetels under their own and their spouse’s names.

It was also revealed that there are many homeowners owning houses outside their jurisdiction.

Among the houses owned by Cheonan city council members, 82% (46 houses) are located in Cheonan, while 10 houses are outside the city. The out-of-jurisdiction areas include other Chungnam regions such as Asan and Gongju, as well as metropolitan areas including Seoul, Gwangmyeong, and Pyeongtaek.

Among the houses owned by Asan city council members, 88% (29 houses) are in Asan, and 4 houses are outside the jurisdiction, with ownership confirmed in Gongju, Hongseong, Cheonan, and Seoul as well.

A representative from the Cheonan Asan Economic Justice Practice Citizens' Coalition stated, “There were cases where individuals owned houses outside the jurisdiction but only registered their address at relatives’ homes within the area, as well as cases where they owned houses outside but maintained rental residences within the jurisdiction.” They emphasized, “It is necessary to disclose detailed addresses when registering buildings or real estate, record actual transaction prices, and strictly review the refusal of notification regarding direct lineal ascendants and descendants.”