A transport vehicle carrying Kim Keon Hee arrives at the offices of the second comprehensive special counsel team in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday. Kim is being questioned as a suspect on charges of brokering illicit favors and abuse of authority in connection with the relocation of the presidential residence under former President Yoon Suk Yeol. [Yonhap]
A transport vehicle carrying Kim Keon Hee arrives at the offices of the second comprehensive special counsel team in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday. Kim is being questioned as a suspect on charges of brokering illicit favors and abuse of authority in connection with the relocation of the presidential residence under former President Yoon Suk Yeol. [Yonhap]

Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, appeared Wednesday before the second comprehensive special counsel team — led by Special Prosecutor Kwon Chang-young — as a suspect in an investigation into alleged preferential treatment given to an unqualified contractor during the relocation of the presidential residence. The team, whose mandate was extended by 30 days through a legislative amendment, plans to accelerate its probe of higher-level figures and bring remaining cases to a close.

The special counsel team is investigating allegations left unresolved after three separate special probes — covering insurrection, Kim Keon Hee, and the Marine Corps corporal case. It summoned Kim as a suspect Wednesday morning on charges of abuse of authority, marking the first time the team had called her in for questioning.

Kim is being held at Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. She arrived at the special counsel's offices in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, at around 9:29 a.m. Wednesday aboard a Ministry of Justice transport vehicle.

Choi Ji-woo, an attorney representing Kim, arrived at the offices at around 9:38 a.m. and told reporters: "She denies all charges. What the special counsel is saying is nothing more than one-sided claims. The facts surrounding the allegations are entirely different."

According to the special counsel team, Kim is suspected of providing preferential treatment to a company called 21 Grams — which lacked the required general construction license — during the 2022 relocation of the presidential residence under the Yoon administration. 21 Grams had been a sponsor of Covana Contents, a company Kim previously ran.

On July 7, the team questioned Yoo Gyeong-ok, a former presidential office administrator and one of Kim's closest aides who previously worked at Covana Contents, as a suspect on charges of aiding and abetting illicit brokering under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The team believes Yoo was involved in helping 21 Grams secure the contract for the residence renovation work.

The team also sought an arrest warrant last month for Kim Tae-young, the head of 21 Grams, on charges of abuse of authority. The court rejected the warrant, saying it could not recognize the necessity or appropriateness of detention.

In connection with allegations that the Yoon administration's presidential office illegally disbursed funds during the residence relocation, the team indicted former Chief of Staff Kim Dae-gi and former General Affairs Secretary Yoon Jae-sun in custody, and indicted former Administrative Secretary Kim O-jin and former Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min without detention.

The team has also taken into custody Yoo Byeong-ho, an auditor at the Board of Audit and Inspection who faces allegations of having gone easy on those involved when auditing controversies surrounding the residence relocation. According to the special counsel team, Yoo is suspected of abusing his authority as a powerful figure within the board by improperly intervening in the audit of the residence relocation at the direction of the presidential office.

The team's mandate was extended by 30 days after the National Assembly passed an amendment to the Special Prosecutor Act for Uncovering the Truth about Insurrection, Foreign Entanglement and State Manipulation by Yoon Suk Yeol and Kim Keon Hee on Tuesday. The team had already used its initial 90-day period and two 30-day extensions but was unable to conclude its investigations, prompting it to request the legislative amendment.

Special Prosecutor Kwon said: "I sincerely thank all the members of the National Assembly and government who worked to amend the special prosecutor act. I also extend my deepest gratitude to the public for their interest in the investigation and their support for the amendment. We will do our utmost to uncover the truth and pursue criminal investigations until the extended period comes to an end."

The extended period is not expected to be easy, however. The team is already facing criticism over its capabilities after a low rate of arrest warrant approvals. Against that backdrop, it has booked former National Intelligence Service First Deputy Director Hong Jang-won and former Capital Defense Command 1st Security Battalion commander Col. Cho Seong-hyeon — proceeding with its own investigation despite the insurrection special counsel team's earlier decision not to charge them.

Also looming over the team's final scorecard is its handling of allegations that the investigation into Kim's suspected involvement in stock price manipulation at Deutsch Motors was improperly suppressed — a case considered particularly complex given that it involves investigating a prior investigation. Having summoned Kim to kick off its probe of higher-level figures, the team is also scheduled to question former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong on Thursday over the Yangpyeong Expressway allegations.


bell@heraldcorp.com