Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young reported 17.7 billion won (approximately $12.4 million) in assets under her own and her family members' names. Among cabinet ministers, her assets ranked second after Han Sung-sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, who reported 22.3 billion won.
According to the "2026 Regular Asset Change Declarations of Senior Public Officials (1,903 persons)" published in the electronic official gazette on June 26 by the Government Ethics Committee for Public Officials, Minister Choi held total assets of 17,749,670,000 won, comprising 11,265,500,000 won in deposits, 4,208,370,000 won in real estate, 1,684,000,000 won in bonds, and 365,920,000 won in stocks.
Minister Choi's assets decreased by 6,123,150,000 won compared to the ad hoc senior public official asset disclosure in January. This is attributed to her placing all 445,086 shares of Nol Universe into a blind trust, as the holdings were deemed to have a conflict of interest with her duties. When stocks are placed in a blind trust, the Government Ethics Committee discloses the information to the public through the official gazette, but the assets are excluded from regular asset disclosure. At the time of the January disclosure, Minister Choi's total stock holdings were valued at 15,041,620,000 won.
Among her remaining stocks not placed in the blind trust, Minister Choi sold all of her shares in Naver and Deulgookhwa Company, causing her deposit holdings to more than triple. She reported 8,209,310,000 won in deposits under her own name and 1,872,150,000 won under her spouse's name. At the January disclosure, the total was 3,716,090,000 won, with 1,613,350,000 won under her own name and 1,294,110,000 won under her spouse's name.
