Politics · South Korea · 1 hr ago
LH Cannot Confirm Status of 77 Employees Named in 2021 Property Probe
South Korea’s 2021 investigation into property speculation by public housing agency employees named 77 employees of the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH).
Five years later, LH says it cannot confirm what happened to those employees because the government did not send it the relevant information.
LH also says it never received information about 74 relatives and acquaintances named at the time.
The agency says it was notified that 48 employees were under investigation, but the relationship between that figure and the government’s 77 remains unclear.
In the Gwangmyeong-Siheung case, 11 of 17 notified employees were cleared or found not guilty, one was convicted and five were still on trial when LH replied; an employee in a separate case was also convicted.
LH says it introduced new controls after the scandal and made no separate claims to recover bonuses or other payments.
A lawmaker is urging the transport ministry to explain the information gap and check investigation, trial and disciplinary outcomes.
LH says it cannot confirm what happened to 77 employees named in a 2021 government announcement about a property speculation probe.
The state-run housing agency said it was not notified of the details then and has received no notification since.
LH said it was notified that 48 employees were subject to investigations, but the relationship between that group and the 77 named by the government was not clarified.
A lawmaker called on the transport ministry to explain the gap in sharing and tracking the outcomes.
LH said 17 employees were notified as investigation targets in connection with the Gwangmyeong-Siheung district, including five whose trials were ongoing at the time of its response.
- Who
- Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) and the 77 employees named by the government.
- What
- LH says it cannot confirm the employees’ case outcomes because it was not notified of the details. It said it received investigation-opening notices for 48 employees.
- When
- The government announced interim results on June 2, 2021. The issue was reported on October 20, 2026.
- Where
- South Korea.
- Why
- LH said it had not been notified of the details. The reason for the gap in information sharing was not stated.
LH
Kim Mi-ae
Information on the 77 employees
LH
LH says it was not notified of the details and cannot confirm their status.
Kim Mi-ae
Kim says LH still being unable to confirm the cases five years later requires an explanation of the gap.
Follow-up responsibility
LH
LH says relevant information was not provided and describes internal controls introduced after the scandal.
Kim Mi-ae
Kim calls on the transport ministry and related agencies to verify investigation, trial and disciplinary outcomes.
The government announced interim results of its property speculation investigation and named 77 LH employees and 74 of their relatives or acquaintances.
An LH employee notified as an investigation target in connection with the Wanju Sambong district received a prison sentence, and the related property was confiscated, LH said.
An LH employee connected to the Gwangmyeong-Siheung district received a prison sentence, and the related property was confiscated, LH said.
Maeil Business reported that LH could not confirm the status of the 77 employees named in the 2021 announcement.
- Employees named by government
- 77
- Relatives and acquaintances named
- 74
- Employees LH said it was notified about
- 48
- Gwangmyeong-Siheung investigation notices
- 17 employees
- Gwangmyeong-Siheung outcomes
- 11 received non-prosecution decisions or final acquittals; one was convicted; five trials were ongoing at the time of LH’s response
- Wanju Sambong investigation notices
- 1 employee
What people are saying
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport must explain how a gap arose in sharing and managing the results, and work with related agencies to check investigation, trial and disciplinary outcomes through to the end.
At the time, the details were not notified to our corporation, and they have not been notified to us to this day.