Kang Shin-cheol, the nominee for Minister of National Defense, addressed allegations of fraudulent apartment applications in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on October 6. He acknowledged some personal oversights but insisted that the allegations are untrue.
The preparation team for his confirmation hearing sent a message to the Ministry of National Defense press corps, stating, "The address in question is where Kang was born and raised, and it is a single-family home he received as a gift in 1997." They added that it is a place where Kang and his family frequently stayed.
They emphasized, "Due to the nature of his military career, he had to frequently rotate through remote postings every one to two years. The military residence was merely a temporary duty station, while his home in Seoul was the only 'base of life' he could return to in the future."
However, Kang admitted, "It is true that I did not carefully examine some administrative procedures, such as aligning my actual residence with my registered address or providing justification for legal exceptions under the Land Compensation Act during my relocations."
He further stated, "I neglected personal matters while focusing on my military duties, which was a mistake. There was no intention to engage in deceptive registration or any illegality in the application process."
Meanwhile, Cheon Ha-ram, acting representative of the Reform Party and a member of the National Defense Committee, held a press conference that day, alleging that Kang had lived in military apartments in Hwacheon County while deceptively registering his address to secure demolition status for a home in Guro-gu, allowing him to receive special allocations for demolition residents for the Seocho-gu apartment. With Kang's confirmation hearing scheduled for October 16, a political showdown between the ruling and opposition parties is anticipated.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.