Board of Audit and Inspection Requests Investigation of Security Office Executive Over Alleged Collusion in Presidential Office Relocation Construction

De Facto First Audit of the Yoon Administration
Audit Extended Five Times, Ending on the 10th of Next Month

The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) detected signs of collusion between a senior official of the Security Office and a construction contractor during the audit process related to the presidential office's relocation to Yongsan, and it is understood that the official was referred for investigation last year.

According to the legal community on the 17th, the BAI referred the case to the prosecution in October last year on charges including loss of public funds, involving a contractor who won the exclusive contract for bulletproof glass installation in the presidential office relocation project and Security Office senior official Mr. A.

The BAI secured evidence that the contractor inflated construction costs and that Mr. A, who was in charge of contract-related duties, overlooked this. Due to concerns about potential evidence destruction, the investigation was referred before the audit was completed.

The prosecution has also been investigating since the end of last year, conducting raids on the contractor’s premises to determine whether construction costs were inflated and whether Mr. A received bribes. Mr. A is currently on standby leave and excluded from Security Office duties.

Earlier, the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy filed a national audit request in October 2022, asking for an investigation into whether illegal preferential treatment occurred during the relocation of the presidential office and residence to Yongsan. The BAI also began an audit in December of the same year, completed an on-site inspection in March 2023, and proceeded with additional investigations and explanations from related contractors.

This audit is effectively the first audit of the current government since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The BAI has exceptionally extended the audit period five times, citing that considerable time is required to prepare the audit report and process the audit results. The audit period is until the 10th of next month.