Lee Hyehun, nominee for Minister of Planning and Budget, expressed her regret on the 15th regarding the controversy over alleged fraudulent applications for the Banpo Raemian One Pentas apartments, explaining, "My spouse applied according to the requirements after reviewing the recruitment announcement."
Lee Hyehun, nominee for Minister of Planning and Budget, is arriving at the confirmation hearing office set up at the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation in Jongno-gu, Seoul on January 9, 2026. Photo by Kang Jinhyung
It was reported that Lee made this statement in her written response to the confirmation hearing questionnaire submitted to the National Assembly on this day. She said, "Since a complaint has already been filed during the confirmation hearing preparation process, I expect a thorough investigation to be conducted, and I will abide by the results of the government agencies' investigation." She added, "I will do my best to have the legality recognized as soon as possible and to bring the controversy to an end," expressing her intention to refute allegations of fraudulent applications.
Regarding the source of funds for the apartment purchase, she stated, "Out of the purchase price of 3,678.4 million won, I paid 1,290 million won, and my spouse paid the remainder." She further explained, "Of my share, 540 million won was a gift from my spouse, 200 million won was borrowed from my mother-in-law, and the rest was raised through my own savings and other means." It is known that Lee won the apartment subscription and realized a market profit of over 3.5 billion won.
In response to allegations that she verbally abused and mistreated her aides during her time as a member of the National Assembly, she said, "If such incidents occurred during work, I sincerely apologize to those who were hurt."
However, Lee refrained from providing specific answers regarding suspicions related to her children, citing "personal information protection." When asked to submit materials regarding her eldest son's scholarship benefits and alleged "dad's chance" publication, she stated, "These are personal details related to an individual's private information," and "It is difficult to submit them to protect personal information." Regarding the suspicion of "indirect gifting" arising from her eldest son using a leased apartment in Sejong City under her name, she explained, "My eldest son pays a fee equivalent to the monthly interest on the lease deposit," but did not provide supporting documentation.
Regarding suspicions of her spouse's profit from selling land in the Yeongjongdo area, she explained, "The seller, who was an overseas Korean, sold the land to my spouse due to personal circumstances," and "The land was acquired for public projects by Korea Land and Housing Corporation and Incheon Metropolitan City Development Corporation, and the sale price was determined according to laws and procedures."
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