Land Minister Won Hee-ryong said Thursday the government decided to scrap an expressway construction project that the main opposition political party has argued would give financial benefits to first lady Kim Keon-hee's family.
The Democratic Party (DP) has raised allegations that the route of the envisioned expressway connecting Seoul and Yangpyeong, 52 kilometers east of Seoul, has been changed to eventually increase the prices of land owned by Kim's family.
"All proposed matters under this administration will be canceled, as national resources are wasted as long as the DP's instigation stance is activated," Won told reporters after a meeting with lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party.
The DP argues that the initial plan, first proposed in 2017 and which passed a feasibility study two years ago, was revised in May to reroute part of the expressway. The new proposal's endpoint is located near the land owned by Kim's family, according to the DP.
The DP has formed a task force to investigate the allegations, referring to it as an "in-laws cartel" of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The label appears to be sarcastic, as Yoon has recently made numerous references to cartels to criticize corrupt forces within and outside the government.
"I will take full responsibility," Won said, adding that he is even willing to resign from the ministerial post and retire from politics if the allegations were true.
The minister further criticized the DP for being solely interested in gaining political advantage through fake news.
Source: Yonhap News Agency