President Moon Jae-in said Monday that public officials who engage in real estate speculation, regardless of their status or rank, must be exposed and sternly managed.

Moon made the call during a meeting of the Anti-Corruption Policy Consultation Council he chaired at the presidential office. He also ordered the full mobilization of administrative and investigative power to this aim.

He said the investigation could expand as it progresses but that it must continue to shed light on the allegations without any political considerations.

Moon said illicit acts must be sternly punished and ill-gotten gains thoroughly retrieved, and included borrowed-name transactions, tax evasion, illegal funds and wrongful financial loans as issues that should be dealt with.

Moon said the public's anger must be taken seriously in a campaign to root out property-related corruption and called for a "structural and fundamental" resolution. For one, he urged expanding asset registration to all civil servants and legislation on preventing conflicts of interest. 

The president also conveyed plans to set up a special government arm to oversee market disrupting activities and to establish a fair and transparent market order.