1 in 3 Senior Gov't Officials Owns Multiple Homes

About a third of lawmakers and senior government officials are multiple homeowners, a similar proportion as last year.

According to this year's asset declarations for National Assembly members and public servants released on Wednesday, 27 out of 87 senior presidential secretaries, ministers and vice-ministers owned more than two homes in their own or their spouse's name. Twenty-one out of the 87 owned property in the affluent Gangnam area of southern Seoul.

Among 287 lawmakers, 100 owned more than two homes, 71 in Gangnam.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has been found to have given a 300 sq.m piece of land in the affluent Yeonhui-dong area of northwestern Seoul to her three children as gifts. The land, which is worth W746.5 million, was subdivided into three parts.

The oldest daughter was born in the U.S. but gave up her American citizenship in 2017 after it drew criticism when Kang was appointed foreign minister. She got married in late 2018.