Fake listing of transport minister's car on online market sparks parliamentary ruckus

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Fake listing of transport minister's car on online market sparks parliamentary ruckus

Published: 07 Oct. 2024, 19:51

SEO JI-EUN
seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo responds to lawmakers' questions during an audit held on Monday at the Government Complex Sejong. [YONHAP]

A lawmaker caused a stir during Monday's parliamentary audit after posting the transport minister's vehicle for sale on a secondhand marketplace website.

This was the first parliamentary audit of the 22nd National Assembly, which kicked off on Monday.

Although the posting was intended to raise concerns about the lax management of online transactions, it disrupted the audit proceedings.

"Your car is up for sale on Daangn Market for 50 million won [$37,114]. Did you post it?" Rep. Yoon Jong-goon from the Democratic Party of Korea asked Minister of Land, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Park Sang-woo during the audit.

Then came the big reveal — the lawmaker had posted the car on the site himself.

"If you just know the owner’s name and the vehicle number, you can quickly enter detailed information such as options, mileage, photos and price," Rep. Yoon said. "It doesn’t even have to be accurate. It took me less than a minute to create a false listing for the minister’s car."

Yoon’s actions were intended to highlight a growing issue with online marketplaces like Daangn, where high-value assets such as cars and real estate are increasingly being traded, often without clear seller information. He criticized what he described as insufficient government oversight, pointing out that false listings are becoming more common on these platforms.

"Did you get my permission before doing this?" the minister asked.

Rep. Kwon Young-jin from the president's People Power Party (PPP) also criticized Yoon, saying, "Posting someone’s vehicle on Daangn without consent violates the Information and Communications Network Act." He called on the committee chair to take appropriate action against Yoon.

In response, Yoon challenged the ministry’s handling of the situation.

"Is the minister’s vehicle number and name a national security issue?" Yoon said.

He further criticized the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for not collecting data on used car transactions across platforms.

"I requested information from the ministry, but they responded that they don’t track used car sales on different platforms," Yoon said. "Isn’t it the ministry’s responsibility to establish order in real estate and car transactions and prevent market disruptions?"

The heated exchange between the lawmakers of the largest parties continued for more than 10 minutes, leading to a brief adjournment of the audit for around 20 minutes in the afternoon.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]