A government probe team said Tuesday that it has referred dozens of alleged land speculation cases involving public servants, including a presidential security staffer, to the police.

The team led by police said Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency has been looking into the cases of 23 public officials and a Cheong Wa Dae security officer. The total number of people under probe over suspected land speculation has mounted to 333.

It also confirmed that the official working for the Presidential Security Service bought a plot of land, together with his family, in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, in September 2017, before the city became designated as a new development area. The man's elder brother works for the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH), the state housing developer. The man has been disciplined following the allegation.

Earlier in the day, police conducted a raid into the office and residence of Kim Eun-young, a Hanam city council member, in connection with the scandal.

Public servants who are currently under probe include 10 officials working at the Gwangmyeong city government, followed by four in Ansan, three in Siheung and one in Hanam.

The team has so far received 360 reports on suspected land transactions through its hotline.

The snowballing scandal started after two civic groups accused 14 LH officials of using insider information to buy land in Gwangmyeong and Siheung, both south of Seoul, before the areas were designated as public housing development sites last month.

The LH scandal has emerged as the biggest political crisis facing the Moon Jae-in administration ahead of key by-elections in April as public discontent over soaring home prices runs high.

Meanwhile, Commissioner General Kim Chang-yong, the country's police chief, said Monday that the government probe team aims to question the accused public officials in police custody.

He also said that the team, which includes officials from the National Tax Service and the Financial Services Commission, has been looking closely at whether any LH officials or their family members conducted transactions under borrowed names. (Yonhap)