LH says no formal review or verification procedure exists for outside speakers; cases of fees exceeding internal guidelines also found; lawmaker calls for transparent management

The Korea Land and Housing Corporation's Seoul regional headquarters in Gangnam-gu [Yonhap]
The Korea Land and Housing Corporation's Seoul regional headquarters in Gangnam-gu [Yonhap]

The Korea Land and Housing Corporation paid a total of 460 million won ($343,000) to outside lecturers over the past five years, parliamentary data showed, as scrutiny mounts over the public housing agency's speaker-selection process. The controversy follows a prominent real estate YouTuber — who had cited an LH lecture appearance as a key credential — becoming embroiled in an alleged membership fraud scheme worth more than 10 billion won. Cases in which speaker fees exceeded LH's own internal guidelines also came to light, including one instance in which a lecturer was paid 7 million won for a two-hour session.

According to data submitted to the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Jang Gyeong-tae of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, LH paid a total of 465.98 million won in outside lecture fees over the five-year period. The corporation has no established criteria for selecting outside speakers. "We consider factors such as the lecturer's current affiliation, occupation, career and expertise, but there is no separate procedure for review or verification," an LH official said.

One outside lecturer who had spoken at LH, a well-known real estate auction YouTuber identified only as A, has since been caught up in an alleged membership fraud scandal involving more than 10 billion won. According to LH's submitted records, A received a lecture fee of about 410,000 won for a session delivered in 2023 to the residential welfare division of LH's Gangwon Province residential welfare project unit.

Jang's office said A had promoted the LH lecture appearance on social media and used it as a key credential to recruit fraud victims. A, a YouTuber with 170,000 subscribers who also worked as a hagwon instructor, raised funds by promising returns such as an annual dividend of around 10 percent per 10 million won invested.

Critics also raised concerns that LH's existing speaker-fee guidelines lack clear standards. Under LH's "lecture fee payment criteria," speakers are classified into tiers: Grade A covers current and former vice minister-level or higher civil servants, heads of public institutions, or university presidents and above; Grade B covers current and former Grade 4 or higher civil servants and department-head-level public institution staff; and Grade C covers current and former Grade 5 or lower civil servants, deputy department-head-level or higher public institution staff, or assistant professors and above. Grades A through C fall under the Anti-Graft Act. A separate Grade S category — exempt from the Anti-Graft Act — is reserved for top experts in their respective fields.

Under the guidelines, LH sets hourly lecture fees by grade: Grade A at 400,000 won for the first hour and 200,000 won for each additional hour, Grade B at 300,000 won for the first hour and 150,000 won for each additional hour, and Grade C at 200,000 won for the first hour and 100,000 won for each additional hour. Grade S speakers receive 1 million won for the first hour and 500,000 won for each additional hour.

However, a proviso allowing exceptions for "special lectures by prominent domestic or foreign figures in the relevant field" has led to cases that exceed even those guidelines. One lecturer, identified as B, received 7 million won for a two-hour session. Another, identified as C, was paid 2.5 million won for two hours — a rate surpassing even the Grade S ceiling, the highest tier under LH's fee schedule.

"LH has been recklessly putting unvetted speakers on the podium without screening them in advance, and on top of that paying fees that far exceed its own standards," Jang said. "As a public corporation responsible for the housing stability of the people, LH must take a strict stance and lead the way in transparent management."


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