[Choice Times= Young-Bok Song, Contributing Reporter]

President Lee Jae-Myung on the 27th criticized a newspaper article that headlined the sale of his 59-pyeong apartment in Bundang with the phrase “₩25 billion in capital gains.”

In a post later that afternoon on X (formerly Twitter), President Lee wrote, “There is a saying that you only see what you want to see. ‘Capital gains of ₩25 billion’? Are they implying there was some other illegal act involved?” He added, “They seem intent on portraying me as a real-estate speculator. If one argues that this should be tolerated as freedom of the press, I can accept that—but treating me as a property speculator clearly goes too far.”

The “dog” President Lee referred to was a JoongAng Ilbo article dated the 27th titled, “President Lee Puts Bundang Apartment on the Market… Blue House: ‘A Sign of Commitment to Normalizing the Housing Market.’”

About 74 minutes after the article was published, President Lee posted a rebuttal, saying, “I bought this home in 1998. After moving from one rental to another, it was the first and only home I ever purchased in my life during the IMF crisis. It is the home where I raised my children and spent my youth—far more precious to me than money.”

He continued, “I didn’t buy it to make money, yet the price rose more than I ever earned from decades of hard work as a professional. Part of me felt pleased, but it also felt absurd—making me think, ‘If this is how things are, who would want to work?’ It even felt like committing a sin against society.” He added, “Just as I didn’t buy it for money, I didn’t sell it for money either. From a purely financial standpoint, there may be a gain. But as the top official responsible for housing policy, I decided to sell not to hand political opponents an attack point over my home, and to fulfill my responsibility as a public servant to set an example.”

He further explained, “If I had kept the home, it wouldn’t have been because I expected prices to rise or anticipated redevelopment profits, as some suggest, but because it was like a cherished keepsake, filled with memories of my life and my children.”

Below is the full text of President Lee’s post titled, “Why Is This Article So Malicious? ‘₩25 Billion in Capital Gains,’ Really?”

I bought this home in 1998. After years of living in rentals, it was the first and only home I ever purchased in my life during the IMF crisis. It is the home where I raised my children and spent my youth—far more precious to me than money.

I didn’t buy it to make money, yet its price rose more than I earned from decades of hard work as a professional. While part of me felt pleased, it also felt absurd—making me think, ‘If this is how things are, who would want to work?’ It felt like committing a sin against society.

After retirement, I hoped to live there until the end of my life, retracing memories of my youth and my children’s lives.

Just as I didn’t buy it for money, I didn’t sell it for money either. Financially, there may be a gain, but as the top official responsible for housing policy, I chose to sell to avoid turning my home into a political attack point and to fulfill my duty as a public servant to set an example.

If I had kept the home, it wouldn’t have been because I expected prices to rise or anticipated redevelopment profits, but because it was like a cherished keepsake, filled with memories of my life and my children.

There is a saying that you only see what you want to see. ‘₩25 billion in capital gains’? Are they implying there was some other illegal act involved? They seem intent on portraying me as a real-estate speculator.

If one argues that this should be tolerated as freedom of the press, I can accept that—but treating me as a property speculator clearly goes too far.

#CapitalGainsControversy
#PresidentialRebuttal
#MediaFraming