Blue House aides begin selling homes amid Lee anti-speculation push
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with his senior secretaries at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, South Korea, 29 January 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
Feb. 3 (Asia Today) — Senior aides at South Korea’s presidential office have begun selling real estate holdings as President Lee Jae-myung intensifies his campaign to eradicate housing speculation.
Blue House spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong has listed her apartment in Giheung, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, while Kim Sang-ho, head of the presidential press office, is selling six multi-unit houses in Seoul’s Daechi-dong neighborhood of Gangnam, a Blue House official said Tuesday.
Kang owns an apartment in Banpo-dong, Seocho District, under her spouse’s name, as well as the Yongin property under her own name. Kim jointly owns an apartment in Gui-dong, Gwangjin District, with his wife in addition to the Daechi-dong properties.
A Blue House official said Kang listed the Yongin apartment, where her parents live, and added that Kim had placed his Gangnam properties on the market some time ago.
As the two senior aides move to dispose of homes they do not reside in, attention is turning to whether similar action will follow among other high-ranking officials. Asset disclosures released earlier showed that 12 of 56 Blue House aides at the secretary level or higher own two or more properties.
President Lee has repeatedly emphasized his determination to stamp out real estate speculation since the start of the year. He has issued warnings on social media for four consecutive days, criticizing opposition parties and parts of the media while vowing to crack down on what he called “ruinous” speculative behavior.
Despite the recent sales, officials said Lee has not directly instructed aides to sell their properties.
During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Lee addressed criticism surrounding calls for public officials with multiple homes to sell first.
“I also think this is problematic,” Lee said. “If I tell them to sell and they do, it means the policy itself is ineffective.”
He added that the government’s goal is to create conditions that make holding multiple homes economically irrational. “We must make them conclude on their own that resolving multiple home ownership is in their interest,” he said.
Opposition pressure has also mounted. Reform New Party leader Lee Jun-seok said Monday he would directly ask ruling party lawmakers and government officials whether they plan to sell their properties by May 9.
“If they do not sell by then, the market will conclude that even policymakers themselves do not believe the policy will work,” he said.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260203010001235
