More than 20% of senior presidential aides own multiple homes

A drone view of Cheong Wa Dae is seen in this May 26, 2022 file photo. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

More than one in five senior presidential aides were found to own multiple homes, highlighting a gap between President Lee Jae Myung’s hardline housing policymaking directive and the reality within his own office.

According to data released Thursday by the Government Public Ethics Committee, 10 out of 47 senior aides at the presidential office — those at the senior secretary or secretary level — owned two or more homes as of the end of last year, accounting for 21.3 percent.

Among them, two of 11 senior secretaries and eight of 33 secretaries were classified as multi-home owners. Kim Sang-ho, chief press secretary, reported owning seven properties, the highest number among the aides.

Other senior aides were found to hold multiple apartments or mixed-use residential buildings in Seoul and surrounding areas.

The number rises further when broader real estate holdings are included. When officetels, commercial buildings and partial ownership of housing units are counted, 18 aides — or 38.3 percent — were found to hold multiple properties, highlighting the extent of real estate exposure among senior officials.

The findings come as Lee has recently ordered that public officials with multiple homes or high-value non-residential properties be excluded from housing policymaking. The president has also put his Bundang apartment up for sale in Gyeonggi Province, in line with his push to curb multiple home ownership.

Several aides have already begun adjusting their holdings in response to Lee's directive. Kim has reportedly put multiple properties on the market, while spokesperson Kang Yu-jung recently sold one of her homes, effectively resolving her multi-home status.

Officials expect similar moves to follow as scrutiny intensifies.

Separately, Lee reported assets of approximately 4.9 billion won ($3.7 million), marking an increase of about 1.88 billion won from a year earlier. Much of the increase was attributed to income from book royalties and financial assets, including proceeds linked to publications released ahead of the presidential election.