Presidential hopefuls disclose assets: Ahn leads at W136.8b, Lee at W3.08b
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and a leading presidential contender if an early election is called, reported over 3 billion won ($2 million) in personal assets, government data showed Thursday.
According to annual asset disclosures released separately by the National Assembly's Ethics Committee and the Government Public Ethics Committee, Lee's total assets amounted to 3.08 billion won as of end-2023, down 26.13 million won from the previous year.
Lee jointly owns an apartment in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, with his wife Kim Hye-kyung. The apartment was valued at 1.456 billion won — up 4.97 percent from a year earlier. He also reported purchasing a 2024 Genesis G80 sedan. His financial assets include 1.584 billion won in bank savings and 138 million won in liabilities.
Among other presidential hopefuls from the Democratic Party, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon — considered a key figure in the party's anti-Lee faction — reported assets worth 3.505 billion won, up 168.32 million won from the previous year.
From the ruling bloc, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon topped the list of sitting metropolitan mayors with 7.405 billion won in declared assets, marking an increase of 1.429 billion won on-year — the largest both in total assets and asset growth among regional government heads. The rise was attributed to gains in US stocks, including Nvidia and MicroStrategy, despite a decline in his bank deposits, according to local reports.
Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo ranked third among metropolitan mayors with 4.259 billion won in assets. Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo reported 1.07 billion won, about 30 million won more than what he declared during his confirmation hearing in November last year.
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the ruling People Power Party was the wealthiest among all presidential hopefuls, with 136.8 billion won in declared assets. His portfolio includes 1.86 million shares of AhnLab, a cybersecurity company he founded prior to entering politics, valued at approximately 123.1 billion won.
Rep. Lee Jun-seok, leader of the minor conservative Reform Party and the first to officially declare his presidential bid, reported 1.471 billion won in assets.
Former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Kyung-soo — both considered potential opposition candidates — as well as former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon and former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min — key figures within the conservative bloc — were not subject to this round of asset disclosures as they neither hold public office nor serve in parliament.
According to a public opinion poll on support ratings for presidential hopefuls released Thursday by pollster Research View, Lee Jae-myung led the race with 48.3 percent support, followed by Kim Moon-soo (16.4 percent), Hong Joon-pyo (6.5 percent), Han Dong-hoon (5.7 percent), Oh Se-hoon (4.9 percent), and Kim Dong-yeon (3.1 percent).
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