Kang Shin-cheol, the nominee for Minister of National Defense, addressed allegations of fraudulent apartment applications on September 6 in Seocho-gu, Seoul, stating that while he had been negligent in personal matters, the allegations are untrue.
The preparation team for his confirmation hearing sent a message to the Ministry of National Defense press corps, asserting, "The address in question is where Kang was born and raised, and it is a single-family home he received through a proper gift in 1997." They added, "Kang and his family frequently visited and stayed at this location."
They emphasized, "Due to the nature of his military career, he had to frequently rotate between remote postings every one to two years. The military residence was merely a 'temporary duty station,' while his owned home in Seoul was the only 'base of life' he could return to in the future."
However, he acknowledged, "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 also stated, "Neglecting personal matters due to my focus on military duties was a mistake, but there was no intention of deceptive registration or 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, Gangwon Province, while deceptively registering his address to secure demolition status for a home in Guro-gu, thus obtaining a 'special allocation for demolition residents' for the Seocho-gu apartment. With Kang's confirmation hearing scheduled for September 16, a political showdown between the ruling and opposition parties is anticipated.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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