Former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong appeared again before the special investigation team led by Kwon Chang-young to face inquiries regarding allegations of preferential treatment and the cancellation of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project.
The special investigation team summoned Won at 10 a.m. on August 6 at their office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, where he is being investigated as a suspect for abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights. This marks the second time he has been questioned, following his initial appearance on July 23.
The allegations regarding the change in the endpoint of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway emerged after the Yoon Suk-yeol administration shifted the endpoint from Yangseo-myeon in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, to Gangsan-myeon, where land owned by First Lady Kim Kun-hee's family is located.
The original endpoint in Yangseo-myeon had been actively pursued since 2008, included in the Ministry of Land's 'Highway Construction Plan' in 2017, and passed a preliminary feasibility study in 2021. However, after the Yoon administration took office, the Ministry of Land suddenly reconsidered Gangsan-myeon as the endpoint in May 2023, raising suspicions of favoritism towards Kim.
In response to the ongoing controversy, Won, who was the Minister of Land at the time, unexpectedly declared the cancellation of the project in July of the same year. The special investigation team is examining whether he ignored legal advice indicating potential violations of the law during this process.
Before entering the special investigation office, Won expressed his dissatisfaction to reporters, stating, "They are ignoring the time set by the judges and violating procedures and laws. They seem to think they are a specially selected group. The Election Commission and the special investigation team appear to be no different."
He further claimed, "The current investigation by the special team blatantly disregards the warrants issued by judges. While we must comply with lawful investigations and express our views, we cannot turn a blind eye to unlawful investigations."
Won's claims of unlawful investigation by the special team relate to the 'phone forensics' process. On July 15, the special investigation team secured Won's mobile phone during a search and seizure operation.
However, Kim Ji-mi, the special prosecutor's assistant, stated during a regular briefing on August 3 that, "The forensic examination of the seized phone was scheduled, but contrary to what was promised, Won's side did not provide the password, leading to its failure." She added that they had requested the National Forensic Service to unlock the phone and would proceed with a selective review of the electronic information.
In contrast, Won claimed on Facebook that, "The warrant for the phone seizure had a ten-day deadline. If the original data was to be extracted, I or my lawyer should have been allowed to participate, but the special investigation team did not return the phone even after the deadline and did not guarantee our participation during the forensics process."
Previously, the Kim Kun-hee special investigation team (led by Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki) indicted a civil servant from the Ministry of Land involved in the preferential treatment allegations for abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights, but they were unable to clarify the charges against Won, who was identified as the central figure.
The newly established special investigation team began its investigation into Won's allegations in March, starting with a travel ban and launching compulsory investigations into the National Intelligence Resource Management Agency and the Ministry of Land in April.
The special investigation team had notified Won twice to appear, but the notices were not delivered due to the absence of a recipient. On July 15, they conducted a search and seizure of Won's mobile phone, and on July 23, they carried out the first questioning of him as a suspect.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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