Han Seong-sook, the ministerial candidate for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, has addressed allegations surrounding the apartment where her mother resides.
On the morning of the 7th, while arriving at the personnel hearing preparation office set up at the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency in Yeouido, Seoul, the candidate met with reporters and stated, "I was not sensitive to the need to establish a rent relationship with my mother."
Previously, opposition party members, including Kim Seong-won of the People Power Party, raised suspicions that Han, who owns an apartment in Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, may have made an illicit donation by registering her mother as the head of the household of the Jamsil apartment when she moved to her current residence in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, in March 2022.
Regarding the controversy over real estate gift tax, Han clarified, "This is a house where I lived with my mother, and she is currently living there." She added, "I did not think it was an illicit donation."
In particular, she explained, "My mother is over 80 years old and has no income. I was not aware that my mother and I should establish a rental relationship when I moved out, and I was not sensitive to that."
According to the Inheritance and Gift Tax Act, if someone other than the owner uses real estate without charge and gains a benefit from it, it becomes subject to gift tax, which must be reported within three months.
Kim pointed out that, as of May 2022, the price of the apartment in question was about 2.3 billion won, meaning that Han's mother should have paid approximately 14 million won in gift tax on the assessed amount of about 170 million won.
In response, Han stated, "If I were to gift it to my mother, she would have to pay the gift tax herself, and then I would again have to pay inheritance tax when inheriting it." She added, "I will provide relevant materials and explain the current situation at the hearing."
The parliamentary personnel hearing for Han is scheduled to take place on the 15th.
Image source: Han Seong-sook, ministerial candidate for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, is seen responding to reporters' questions while arriving at the personnel hearing preparation office at the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on June 24 / News1, News1.
