President Moon Jae-in may be the most powerful person in South Korea, but he apparently is not the most well-off person even among a handful of officials working at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, a report showed Friday.
According to the annual report from the Government Public Ethic Committee, the president had some 1.82 billion won ($1.61 million) in family assets that included a 322 million-won bank deposit held by his wife, Kim Jung-sook, and a 23 million-won deposit that belongs to his mother.
The amount marked an increase of 315 million won from a year earlier when Moon was serving as a lawmaker.
However, it was lower than the average 1.97 billion won for all ranking Cheong Wa Dae officials who were appointed before the end of May.
Ranking government officials and legislators are required to disclose their personal and family assets each year, a move partly aimed at preventing corruption by revealing any significant changes in wealth.
For many currently working at Cheong Wa Dae, this year's report marked the first time they were required to disclose such information as most of them began working after the president took office May 10.
Of all Cheong Wa Dae officials, including the president himself, Jang Ha-sung, the presidential chief of staff for policy, was the wealthiest with about 9.32 billion won in family assets.
His family wealth included 2.33 billion won in bank deposits alone, according to the report.
Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok, the second in command at the presidential office, reported 434 million won in family assets.
Moon's chief security adviser Chung Eui-yong, also the chief of the National Security Office, had a little over 2 billion won in family assets that included a 2003 Hyundai EF Sonata sedan. (Yonhap)
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