Three Public Officials Acquitted in ‘Gongheung District Favoritism Allegations’ Involving President Yoon’s In-Laws

Three Yangpyeong County officials who were prosecuted on charges including forgery of official documents in connection with the 'Yangpyeong Gongheung District preferential treatment suspicion' involving President Yoon Seok-yeol's in-laws were acquitted in the first trial.

On the 14th, Judge Kim Su-jeong of the Criminal Division 2 at the Yeoju Branch of Suwon District Court acquitted Yangpyeong County officials Team Leader A, Section Chief B, and Director C, who were indicted without detention on charges of forgery and use of false official documents.

Judge Kim stated, "It is difficult to see that the defendants created false official documents to extend the project deadline, and there was no awareness or intent to use false official documents; therefore, the charges in this case correspond to a lack of proof of criminal facts, resulting in acquittal."

A and others were indicted in June last year on charges of arbitrarily extending the project deadline despite the developer ESI&D, whose actual owner is Kim (54), President Yoon's brother-in-law, failing to complete the Gongheung District urban development project by November 2014 as required, exceeding the deadline by 1 year and 8 months. According to the prosecution's investigation, they fabricated reports portraying significant changes related to the urban development project, such as the extension of the project deadline, as minor.

The prosecution believes that if A and others had followed the proper procedures regarding the project deadline change, the completion of the apartment complex (consisting of 350 units) would have been delayed, leading to a flood of complaints from prospective residents, and thus they arbitrarily changed the project deadline.

Meanwhile, Kim, President Yoon's brother-in-law, and five others including officials from the developer company were indicted without detention in July last year on charges of forgery and use of forged private documents related to the Gongheung District urban development project and are currently undergoing first trial proceedings.