Lee Hyehoon Denies Fraudulent Application Allegations at One Pentas: "Eldest Son Faced Marital Crisis... Not a False Address"

Lee Hyehoon, nominee for Minister of Planning and Budget, is attending the confirmation hearing of the Finance and Economy Planning Committee held at the National Assembly on January 23, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Lee Hyehoon, nominee for Minister of Planning and Budget, addressed allegations of fraudulent apartment applications regarding the Raemian One Pentas complex in Seocho-gu on January 23. She explained, "Although my eldest son held a wedding ceremony, the relationship deteriorated immediately afterward, so they did not register the marriage and he continued living with his parents," denying that it was a false address registration intended to gain extra points for the housing application.

Lee made this statement during the confirmation hearing of the Finance and Economy Planning Committee at the National Assembly in response to questions about her eldest son's alleged false address registration and fraudulent apartment application.

Lee's spouse won the lottery for an apartment at Raemian One Pentas in Seocho-gu, Seoul, in July 2024. There have been allegations that the family included their eldest son, who got married in December 2023, as a dependent to boost their application score to the winning cutoff of 74 points.

Lee explained, "Although my eldest son held a wedding ceremony, the relationship broke down immediately afterward and the situation became dire. At that time, it was determined that it would be difficult to maintain the marriage, so he had no choice but to stay with us."

In response to the claim that her eldest son had a different place of residence due to employment at a government-funded research institute in Sejong City, Lee countered, "My son found it difficult to handle meals or laundry on his own, and he was also planning to transfer to a job in Seoul at the time, so he mainly stayed at our family home in Seoul."

When opposition lawmakers asked if she would return the apartment obtained through the alleged fraudulent application, Lee stated, "I will comply with the outcome of the investigation by the authorities."

Regarding suspicions that her eldest son received special admission to Yonsei University by taking advantage of the career of her father-in-law, former Minister of the Interior Kim Taeho, who served four terms as a lawmaker, Lee explained, "Yonsei University sets specific criteria for national merit admissions based on the type of medal awarded. My father-in-law was not recognized for his political achievements, but rather for his lifelong service as a public official, for which he received the Order of Service Merit, Blue Stripes, and that qualified him for the program."

Previously, Lee stated at the National Assembly that her eldest son was admitted to Yonsei University under the multi-child family admission program. However, it was revealed that such a program did not exist for the 2010 academic year, when her son was admitted, leading to controversy over whether the admission was improper.