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The Board of Audit and Inspection demanded severe penalties for 10 employees related to the audit results concerning the manipulation of real estate statistics and the shooting incident of a public official in the West Sea during the Yoon administration. In response, the employees immediately protested, claiming it was a "preconceived investigation". They announced plans for legal action, arguing that they could not overturn the substantive facts of the audit results.
In 2023, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced that the Blue House and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport exerted undue influence on real estate statistics more than 94 times during the Moon Jae-in administration. At that time, Choi Dal-young, the first deputy director of the Board, claimed that the Blue House pressured the Korea Real Estate Agency to review the statistics and justify the reasons for the increase in fluctuation rates. However, the auditors countered in a 13-page statement that "the task force predetermined the conclusion before conducting the investigation," asserting that the investigation proceeded without evidence of coercive auditing.
The audit team also refuted claims that they threatened to refer Ministry of Land employees to investigative agencies, stating that it was not true. A member of the audit team explained, "The Ministry of Land employees expressed concerns about being sent to investigative agencies first, and we advised them not to make such assumptions." Additionally, they emphasized that the substantive facts of the statistical manipulation remain valid, asserting that records from 2019 confirm that a Ministry of Land official requested adjustments to the fluctuation rates, thereby verifying the manipulation of statistics and directives from higher-ups. As a result, disputes surrounding the audit findings are expected to continue.
