▲ Former presidential aide Yoo Gyeong-ok arrives at the office of the 2nd Special Counsel team led by Kwon Chang-young in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on July 7 for questioning regarding allegations surrounding the presidential residence construction.
The comprehensive special counsel team has summoned former presidential aide Yoo Gyeong-ok in connection with allegations surrounding the construction of the presidential residence.
The special counsel team questioned Yoo today (July 7) as a suspect on charges of aiding and abetting the acceptance of bribes under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes.
Yoo is suspected of being involved in the overall process in which the construction firm 21gram and others provided valuables, including Dior clothing, to Kim Keon-hee during the presidential residence relocation project in 2022.
21gram, a company that sponsored exhibitions hosted by Covana Contents—a firm previously operated by Kim—and handled the design and construction of the Covana Contents office, has faced allegations of unfairly winning the presidential residence construction contract under Kim's influence, despite lacking a general construction license.
The special counsel team believes that Yoo, considered a close aide to Kim and one of the so-called "three gatekeepers," was deeply involved in this process.
In relation to these allegations, the special counsel team conducted a search and seizure of Yoo's property in late April, securing items such as her mobile phone.
Yoo was initially questioned as a witness but has since been transitioned to suspect status.
The special counsel team recently requested an arrest warrant for the CEO of 21gram, identified by the surname Kim, on charges including abuse of power.
However, the court dismissed the request, stating that it was difficult to recognize the necessity and justification for detention.
Meanwhile, the special counsel team also questioned former presidential personnel secretary Lee Won-mo as a witness regarding allegations of "emperor-style questioning" by the prosecution involving Kim Keon-hee.
The "emperor-style questioning" allegations suggest that the prosecution, which investigated Kim's involvement in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case, granted her preferential treatment by conducting the questioning privately at a Presidential Security Service facility instead of summoning her to the prosecutor's office.
The special counsel team has captured circumstances suggesting that Lee conveyed the questioning date to Kim's side and is investigating whether higher-level officials in the presidential office were involved in the preferential treatment.
Kim Min-gu, former head of the Gongju Branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, who was part of the investigation team at the time, has also been booked on charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.
The special counsel team is examining the overall allegations regarding the cover-up of the investigation into Kim's involvement in the Deutsch Motors case.
Regarding the so-called "editing allegations," which suggest that the investigation team exchanged written responses with Kim's side in advance, the special counsel team booked former Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief Lee Chang-soo and former Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Anti-Corruption Department 2 Chief Choi Jae-hoon on charges including violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, and completed their questioning as suspects last week.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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