Lee So-young, nominee for minister of SMEs and startups, owned and rented out an 84.9-square-meter apartment in Seoul’s Hongje-dong while living under a jeonse lease (large deposit-based rental) in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. Parliamentary asset disclosures show the arrangement existed in August 2020 and continued through 2026, meaning she held a single home she did not occupy for at least seven years. The case follows similar allegations involving Lee Hyoung-il, nominee for deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, who rented out a Gwacheon apartment slated for rebuilding while living under jeonse. The cases have fueled criticism that the Lee Jae-myung administration’s owner-occupancy-centered housing policy does not reflect South Korea’s widespread jeonse system and could increase taxes on single-home owners who do not live in their properties. The government withdrew a proposed tax revision that would have cut the basic deduction for such owners to 900 million won from 1.2 billion won and raised the annual tax-burden increase cap to 200% from 150%. The final proposal keeps those figures at 1.2 billion won and 150%, respectively, while raising the basic deduction for owner-occupiers to 1.4 billion won. Separately, People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Han-hong questioned Lee’s legislative expertise, saying she sponsored no bills under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups during her National Assembly tenure, despite the presidential office saying she actively pursued legislation supporting startups and small business owners. The parties have tentatively agreed to hold Lee’s confirmation hearing on the 15th.