As the government announced a reform plan for real estate taxation, past comments by Kim Yong-beom, the policy director at the presidential office, regarding rental housing have come under renewed scrutiny. This is particularly relevant as Kim, who reportedly made significant profits from real estate without actual residence, displayed an agitated reaction during a National Assembly inquiry about rental housing, leading to increased criticism.
Recently, a video of Kim's responses during a National Assembly Operations Committee meeting on November 18 of last year has circulated widely on various online communities and social media.
During the meeting, Kim Eun-hye, a member of the People Power Party, questioned Kim about public rental housing policies, asking, "Would you tell your daughter to live in rental housing?"
In response, Kim raised his voice, saying, "Don't say that," and "How can you involve family in this?" As he became increasingly agitated, pointing his finger, Kim Eun-hye retorted, "Try to put yourself in my shoes." This exchange sparked controversy at the time, but it has gained more attention in light of Kim's real estate ownership history.
According to asset disclosure documents from the Government Public Officials Ethics Committee, Kim owns an apartment in Seocho District, Seoul, co-titled with his spouse. The apartment, measuring 146 square meters, was acquired in 2000 for about 400 million won through a reconstruction right from the Gukdong Apartment in Banpo-dong, and it is currently valued at approximately 3 billion won.
Criticism has also emerged on the anonymous workplace community Blind. One user, identifying as an employee at Seo-young Engineering, wrote, "He gets angry when asked if he would let his child live in rental housing, yet he cuts the budget for the buffer and stepping stone loans available to young professionals. This is why I can never support the Democratic Party. His hypocrisy is disgusting."
The user further claimed, "Those who have stable housing tend to become more conservative, so I can't help but suspect that the People Power Party is trying to make the youth dependent on rental housing to gain an advantage in future elections."
Other netizens echoed the criticism, stating, "He advocates for rentals for the youth but gets defensive when it comes to his family," and "Actions speak louder than words. Policymakers need to align with the public's perspective."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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