Moon admin data controversy

[Anchor]

The results of an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection have been confirmed, revealing that the Moon Jae-in administration manipulated key national statistics to make it appear that housing prices had not risen significantly.

It revealed that the presidential office at the time issued instructions to distort the data on 102 occasions and pressured the statistical agency responsible.

First, we have reporter Song Geum-han.

[Report]

In 2020, during the Moon Jae-in administration, the civic group Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice reported that apartment prices in Seoul had risen by 52% over three years.

However, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport provided a different explanation at the time.

[Seo Byung-soo/Then-Member of the United Future Party/July 2020: "How much do you think prices have risen over the past three years?"]

[Kim Hyun-mee/Then-Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport/National Assembly Q&A: “According to statistics from the Korea Appraisal Board (now Korea Real Estate Board), I believe it’s around 11%.”]

The Board of Audit and Inspection, which started investigating the allegations of 'statistical manipulation' from the first year of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration in 2022, announced the final results today (4.17) after about three years.

It revealed that from 2018, for about four years, the housing price statistics released by the Korea Real Estate Agency under the land ministry were distorted 102 times.

The presidential office and the land ministry reportedly received the data in advance and demanded adjustments before they were announced.

After the housing prices rose following the 'July 19 measures' in 2020, the presidential office expressed concerns, and the land ministry requested corrections, saying "The atmosphere among the higher-ups is not good."

As a result, the Korea Real Estate Agency adjusted the sample prices, lowering the originally reported '0.12% increase' to '0.09%.'

In 2019, when prices moved from a decline to flat, then-Minister Kim Hyun-mee reportedly said, “Flat is not acceptable,” and a land ministry official told the agency, “The presidential office is watching—if this continues, we’re all finished,” prompting a revision.

When the board later reported that prices were rising, the land ministry allegedly threatened to cut its budget and staffing.

The Korea Real Estate Board reportedly asked 12 times to stop providing advance data, but the requests were ignored.

The Board of Audit and Inspection has demanded actions against 31 individuals, including the dismissal of two high-ranking officials from the ministry.

Previously, the Board of Audit and Inspection referred 22 individuals, including former policy chief Jang Ha-seong, to the prosecution, and a trial is currently underway.

The Board of Audit and Inspection stated that restoring the distorted statistics is impossible.

This is Song Geum-han from KBS News.