Special Counsel Seeks Arrest Warrant for Board of Audit and Inspection Official Over 'Cover-up' Allegations in Presidential Residence Relocation Audit

The second comprehensive special counsel team, investigating various allegations of misconduct surrounding the relocation of the presidential residence under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, has moved to secure the detention of a senior official at the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) in connection with suspicions of a "shoddy and delayed" audit.
The special counsel team announced today (June 16) that it has requested an arrest warrant for a current BAI official, identified by the surname Son, on charges including the creation of false official documents.
Son, who served as the head of the audit team for the presidential residence relocation, is accused of drafting a false report by manipulating evidence and documents during the audit process.
After his election, former President Yoon Suk-yeol relocated the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan and the presidential residence to the former official residence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Following the move, various allegations were raised regarding the selection process for construction contractors and construction costs, leading to an audit initiated after the civic group People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy filed a request for a public audit in October 2022.
After approximately two years of investigation, the BAI released its "Audit Report on Allegations of Illegality Regarding the Relocation of the Presidential Office and Residence and the Use of Expenses" in September 2024.
The report stated that in April 2022, the presidential transition committee tentatively decided on the former Foreign Minister's residence as the site for the new presidential residence and selected "21gram" as the interior construction firm.
The report further noted that the Presidential Secretariat confirmed in May 2022 that the construction plans included small-scale expansion work and requested 21gram to find a contractor qualified for such work. 21gram then requested Wondam General Construction, which held a general construction license, to participate in the expansion, allowing the project to proceed.
However, investigations revealed that 21gram was, in fact, overseeing the entire construction project, including the expansion, rather than just the interior work.
The special counsel team's investigation concluded that 21gram used Wondam General Construction—which held a general construction license—as a front to create the appearance of legality, while 21gram actually handled all aspects of the construction despite lacking the necessary qualifications.
The special counsel team believes that the BAI was aware of these facts during the audit process but intentionally omitted them from the audit report, instead recording it as if 21gram had only been responsible for the interior work.
In connection with this, the special counsel team conducted raids on the BAI and the office of Audit Commissioner Yoo Byung-ho on May 14 to secure relevant materials.
Since then, they have summoned BAI officials one after another to investigate the circumstances surrounding the drafting of the report and any instructions given.
The special counsel team plans to intensify its investigation into whether there was involvement from "higher-ups" once they secure Son.
Consequently, it is expected that the investigation into figures such as Audit Commissioner Yoo Byung-ho, who served as the Secretary-General of the BAI during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, will also gain momentum.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.