Comprehensive Special Counsel Re-summoning Won Hee-ryong Over Yangpyeong Expressway Cancellation on August 6

The 2nd Comprehensive Special Counsel team led by Kwon Chang-young has notified former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong of a re-summons regarding allegations over the route change of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway.

The comprehensive special counsel team, which is investigating remaining cases following the three special counsels, announced today (the 29th) that former Minister Won will be summoned at 10:00 a.m. on August 6 as a suspect on charges of abuse of authority.

Former Minister Won is accused of declaring the cancellation of the project without going through proper review procedures in July 2023, when allegations arose that the terminal point of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway was altered to grant preferential treatment to the family of First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

The original route terminating in Yangseo-myeon had even passed the preliminary feasibility study in 2023, but preferential treatment suspicions arose when the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport reviewed a route terminating in Gangsang-myeon, where the land of First Lady Kim's family is located, in May 2023.

Former Minister Won's stance is that "he was not involved in the expressway project in any way until the preferential treatment suspicions were raised" and that "he merely suspended existing procedures because he judged as minister that normal project advancement was difficult."

Following the acquisition of former Minister Won's mobile phone through a search and seizure on the 15th, the comprehensive special counsel team summoned former Minister Won as a suspect on the 23rd and questioned him for nine hours.

The travel ban placed on former Minister Won by Special Counsel Min Joong-ki's team in June of last year was lifted on the 24th of this month, with the team stating that "consultations regarding the travel request are proceeding smoothly."

Previously, Special Counsel Min Joong-ki's team indicted Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official Kim and Korea Expressway Corporation employees on charges of abuse of authority over involvement in the preferential treatment suspicions, but failed to uncover the charges against former Minister Won, who had been pointed to as the higher-up.
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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