The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) illegally appropriated a piece of land owned by the Republic of China (ROC) government in Seoul, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Parris Chang (張旭成) said yesterday.
The controversy surrounding the KMT's occupation of state-owned assets worth several billions of dollars took a fresh twist as Chang, convener of the legislature's Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee, said that the party refused to return government-owned land in downtown Seoul.
A center serving Taiwanese immigrants opened on the 37.6m2 piece of land. Chang said that during his trip to Seoul earlier this month, local Taiwanese immigrants told him about the KMT occupation.
"The KMT took the state-owned land and carried out party affairs there. It even leased out some portions of the land to raise party funds," Chang said.
The ROC government was still officially registered as the owner of the land, whose market value amounted to millions of US dollars, Chang said. But it is the KMT that is using the property, he added.
Criticizing the KMT's record, Chang said that it would not be good for the people if they voted for a party that occupies the state's assets.
According to Parris Chang, KMT Legislator John Chang (
"But they regard the occupation as a normal matter," he said.
John Chang's office, when contacted, said the legislator knew nothing about the allegation. The Taipei Mission in Seoul, Taiwan's de facto embassy in South Korea, said yesterday it was launching an investigation into the case.
The Taiwanese immigration service center located on the disputed land was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Parris Chang also pointed out the KMT still occupies more than 10 state-owned assets in his hometown of Chiayi City. He said so far the party has been reluctant to return the assets to the government.
KMT Administration and Management Committee Director-General Chang Che-shen (
Chang Che-shen, however, said the KMT would "try to understand more about the case."
When the KMT was in power, it sometimes subsidized overseas Taiwanese to purchase real estate to set up centers to serve Taiwanese immigrants, Chang Che-shen said.
But usually it was the Taiwanese immigrants that owned the service centers rather than the KMT, he added.
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