▲ People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Han-hong arrives at the second joint special counsel team's office in Gwacheon on August 1 to undergo questioning as a suspect on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights in connection with allegations of irregularities surrounding the relocation of the presidential residence.
People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Han-hong, who is suspected of improperly intervening in the selection of a construction contractor during the relocation of the presidential residence under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, has undergone about nine hours of questioning as a suspect by the second joint special counsel team led by Kwon Chang-young.
The special counsel team summoned Rep. Yoon as a suspect on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights, questioning him from 10:00 AM to 7:05 PM today (August 1).
The special counsel team intensively questioned him on whether he intervened in the process of changing the residence site and selecting the construction contractor, and it is understood that Rep. Yoon made statements denying the allegations.
Prior to the morning questioning, Rep. Yoon told reporters, "The residence construction took place after the Presidential Transition Committee finished its work and former President Yoon Suk Yeol took office," and claimed, "It has nothing to do with me."
The special counsel team plans to wrap up the investigation with today's questioning without summoning Rep. Yoon additionally.
The special counsel team conducted its first suspect interrogation after continuing related investigations for four months since conducting its "first compulsory investigation" by raiding Rep. Yoon in March.
Rep. Yoon is suspected of improperly intervening in the change of the residence site and the selection of the construction contractor while overseeing the residence relocation as the head of the Blue House Relocation Task Force during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
The joint special counsel team is focusing on the fact that the target site was changed after Rep. Yoon and Kim Kun-hee made three pre-inspections of potential residence sites in April 2022.
The special counsel team has specified the timeline that Kim Kun-hee toured a candidate site for the residence on April 8, 2022, and ordered its relocation to the Foreign Minister's official residence on the 11th of the same month.
In addition, they suspect that around this time, Rep. Yoon instructed former Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Oh-jin to ensure that 21gram, an interior design company with ties to Kim Kun-hee, could take charge of the residence construction.
The special counsel's assessment is that while the presidential residence was originally scheduled to be relocated to the Army Chief of Staff's official residence, it was changed to the Foreign Minister's official residence without any particular reason after Kim Kun-hee's inspection.
Furthermore, the special counsel team views that 21gram, an unqualified company without a general construction business license, received preferential treatment by signing a private contract for the residence relocation and expansion construction.
21gram is a company that sponsored exhibitions hosted by Covana Contents, operated by Kim Kun-hee, and was in charge of designing and constructing its office. It is known that Kim Kun-hee is closely acquainted with the spouse of 21gram CEO Kim.
Previously, the special counsel team indicted former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min and former presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki regarding allegations of budget diversion related to the residence relocation, and is investigating by detaining audit commissioner Yoo Byung-ho over allegations of a "lenient audit."
On July 22, they summoned Kim Kun-hee as a suspect to intensively question her about allegations of receiving valuables related to the residence relocation.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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