Yoon Han-hong, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, appeared before the Special Prosecutors' Office on August 1, facing allegations of improper involvement in the selection of a construction company during the relocation of the presidential residence.
According to Yonhap News, Yoon arrived at the Special Prosecutors' Office in Gwacheon at around 9:30 a.m. as a suspect under investigation for abuse of authority.
Yoon, who served as the head of the task force for the relocation of the presidential office during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, is accused of improperly intervening in the site change and contractor selection process.
The Special Prosecutors' team is investigating the circumstances surrounding the change of the site after Yoon conducted three preliminary visits to potential locations with Kim Geon-hee in April 2022. Initially, the presidential residence was set to move to the Army Chief of Staff's residence, but the location was changed to the Foreign Minister's residence without clear justification following Kim's visits, according to the Special Prosecutors' assessment.
Yoon is also under suspicion of directing Kim O-jin, the former first vice minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, to select the interior company 21gram, which has ties to Kim Geon-hee.
The Special Prosecutors' team suspects that this led to 21gram, a company without a general construction license, receiving preferential treatment in securing the contract for the relocation and expansion of the residence.
21gram is known to have sponsored exhibitions organized by Kobana Contents, a company run by Kim Geon-hee, and has been involved in office design and construction. Kim Geon-hee is reportedly close to the spouse of 21gram's CEO.
Since conducting a search and seizure operation against Yoon in March as part of their first compulsory investigation, the Special Prosecutors' team has continued their inquiry.
The team plans to question Yoon regarding the site change, the contractor selection process, and any possible directives or interventions from higher-ups.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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