OFFICIAL ARRESTED OVER LAND SPECULATION

[Anchor Lead]

Police have arrested a Pocheon City official for allegedly using confidential information to buy properties in an area where a subway station was to be built. It's the first arrest since the establishment of a government task force investigating the Land and Housing Corporation's land speculation scandal. Police have also raided the office of a former aide of the interior minister.

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The Pocheon City official declined to answer reporters' questions before the court hearing into an arrest warrant request on Thursday.

[Soundbite] "(Is it true that you had purchased the land before the public knew about the construction of a subway station?) ....."

The court has issued the arrest warrant citing sufficient evidence of his crime and the possibility of evidence destruction. It's the first arrest since the establishment of a government taskforce investigating the Land and Housing Corporation's land speculation scandal. The official oversaw Pocheon City's railway affairs for one year starting in 2018. He allegedly used confidential information to buy properties in the area where a subway station was to be built. The official has denied the charges, saying it was no longer a secret that a subway station was to be built in the area in question. However, the court rejected his plea. Police plan to transfer the official to prosecutors after further investigating the matter. Meanwhile, police have launched a probe into a former aide of Interior Minister Jeon Hae-chul for buying land using inside information. Police have raided five places including the land ministry, LH, the Gyeonggi-do Provincial Government and Ansan City Hall.

[Soundbite] "(Which departments have you raided?) You should ask the investigation headquarters."

The former aide's wife is suspected of having used confidential information to purchase land in a restricted development zone in Ansan one month before Jangsang Zone was designated for urban development. The former aide was dismissed after the scandal erupted.