Battle for tax appeal case related to in-laws’ land gift tax
Candidate Lee’s brother-in-law appears as a witness… “The candidate probably didn’t know”
▲ Lee Kyun-yong, candidate for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, is answering questions from lawmakers at a personnel hearing held at the National Assembly on the 20th. 2023.9.20 Professional Reporter Ahn Joo-young On the 20th, the ruling and opposition parties fought over Lee Gyun-yong (61, 16th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute) at the National Assembly’s confirmation hearing on the second day of the Supreme Court Chief Justice candidate’s process of increasing his assets and suspicions of tax evasion.
The opposition party called Hwang In-gyu, a tax professor (attorney) at Kangnam University, as a witness and focused on the issue of gift tax on the land that candidate Lee’s spouse, Mr. Kim, received from his father.
Mr. Kim’s father bequeathed the land in Mandeok-dong, Busan to his three children, including Mr. Kim, in 2000. The three children appeared to purchase land for 2.3 billion won, and all of the money was paid by Kim’s father. During this process, she did not register. The tax authorities viewed Kim’s father’s payment of 2.3 billion won as a gift and imposed a gift tax of 133.99 million won. However, Mr. Kim and others filed a tax appeal, and the final gift tax was reduced by more than 90% from the existing tax to 11.33 million won.
In response to a question from opposition party members asking whether this was an abuse of the law, Professor Hwang said, “It seems strange in that, unlike other judgments at the time, the conclusion was favorable to the applicant,” adding, “Even though it was acquired through a gift, (candidate Lee’s wife) ) If it is registered as a sale, it is also subject to criminal punishment under the Act on Special Measures for Real Estate Registration.”
Then, Rep. Jeon Joo-hye of the People Power Party asked Professor Hwang’s answer, “Did you go to the site in person or see a copy of the register?” People Power Party lawmaker Jang Dong-hyuk also pointed out that Professor Hwang had experience as a secretary in the office of a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and criticized him for “giving too extreme answers without specific facts.”
On this day, candidate Lee’s brother-in-law, Kim Hyeong-seok, CEO of Oksan Co., attracted attention by attending the confirmation hearing as a witness requested by the opposition party. When asked about the unlisted stocks of Oksan held by the candidate’s family and the land in Mandeok-dong, Busan, which the candidate’s wife had put up as a mortgage for unpaid taxes, Representative Kim said, “I don’t know much about dividends or land related to family businesses in the past, and the candidate probably didn’t know either.” “He answered.
Lee Gyeong-chun, a former classmate of the candidate’s 16th Judicial Research and Training Institute, attended and evaluated the candidate as “an excellent candidate because he had extensive knowledge of the legal principles and judicial system as a whole and also had clear convictions.”
Candidate Lee responded to Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Hoe-jae’s question, “If public suspicions about such issues (concerns about the independence of the judiciary due to your close relationship with President Yoon Seok-yeol) increase while serving as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, are you willing to resign midway?” he responded, “If that is the will of the people.” “I don’t think it is desirable for me to remain (as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court),” he replied. The National Assembly is scheduled to vote on candidate Lee’s appointment as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the plenary session on the 25th.
Reporter Kang Yoon-hyuk
2023-09-20 09:25:55
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