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Budget minister nominee denies wrongdoing by son in housing lottery

Published: 23 Jan. 2026, 16:25

Lee Hye-hoon, the nominee for the first minister of the to-be-established Ministry of Planning and Budget, speaks during her confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 23. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

Lee Hye-hoon, the minister of planning and budget nominee, denied allegations that her son attempted to appear single to gain an advantage in a housing lottery. She claimed that her son’s relationship at the time had “deteriorated to its worst point,” leading the family to “believe it would be difficult for the couple to maintain the marriage.”

The explanation was given in response to accusations that she listed her son, who had held a wedding ceremony but had not registered his marriage, as her dependent when applying for an apartment in Raemian One Pentas in Banpo, southern Seoul — possibly constituting a fraudulent application.

“My son and daughter-in-law were going through a difficult time,” Lee said during her confirmation hearing at the National Assembly on Friday.

“It doesn’t seem like they were on bad terms. Isn’t this more about a devoted daughter-in-law who never registered her address with her husband and helped [his family] win an apartment?” asked Reform Party Rep. Chun Ha-ram in response.

Before the hearing, the People Power Party (PPP) stated that there was no way to verify Lee's claims that her son held a wedding ceremony but lived separately from his partner due to their personal problems, calling for the submission of relevant documents.

Lee also denied the accusation that she wrote a controversial memo.

Lee Hye-hoon, the nominee for the first minister of the to-be-established Ministry of Planning and Budget, is seen during her confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 23. [YONHAP]

“I did not write it,” Lee said during the confirmation hearing. “I do not create such documents through word processors.”

The memo, released by Rep. Chun, describes an alleged attempt by Lee to quash a police investigation into her past political funding scandal by using the influence of then-Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office chief and former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

When asked whether she understood that making false statements would result in punishment, she answered, “Yes.”

Lee's son's college admission also came under scrutiny during the hearing. PPP Rep. Choi Eun-seok questioned Lee over her son's 2010 admission to Yonsei University. Her son had been accepted through a “social contributors” admissions track.

“Among the eligible categories for social contributors, such as independence patriots, national merit awardees and those who enhance national prestige, which did [your son] fall under?” said Rep. Choi. “Was it national prestige?”

Lee Hye-hoon, the nominee for the first minister of the to-be-established Ministry of Planning and Budget, standing, is seen bowing during her confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 23. [NEWS1]

“Yes,” Lee replied.

“Your son’s grandfather received an official medal as the minister of home affairs. Is that really a contribution to national prestige?” Rep. Choi asked. “At the time, your husband was the deputy dean of academic affairs at Yonsei University.”

“My father-in-law received the Cheongjo Geunjeong Medal in recognition of his service as a public servant, which met the eligibility requirements,” Lee said. “My son was admitted after passing the necessary evaluations of his high school GPA, college entrance exam and English, written and oral tests.”

In her opening remarks at the confirmation hearing, Lee said that after being nominated, there were criticisms of her shortcomings, for which she apologized to the public, the confirmation committee and the president.

Lee Hye-hoon, the nominee as the first minister of the to-be-established Ministry of Planning and Budget, sitting, is seen speaking with officials during her confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 23. [NEWS1]

Addressing allegations of mistreatment of aides, Lee said, “In my single-minded focus on results and policy outcomes, I failed to recognize the harm caused to the valuable colleagues I worked with. I deeply regret this.”

Regarding criticism that she once sided with an insurrection, she said, “I again apologize for standing in a position of poor judgment that cannot avoid judgment.”

Lawmakers also urged Lee to make her social media accounts public. Lee replied, “They’ve all been shut down already. I don’t have any accounts.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YU SUNG-KUK [[email protected]]