Senior Security Office Official Indicted and Detained Over Alleged Corruption in Presidential Office Relocation Construction

An executive of the Security Office, suspected of corruption in the construction of the presidential office relocation to Yongsan, has been indicted while in custody.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office Investigation Deliberation Committee recommended that the prosecution indict Pastor Choi Jae-young, who gave luxury bags and other items to First Lady Kim Keon-hee, on charges of violating the Anti-Graft Act. On the 25th, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

On the 2nd, the Violent Crime Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Boseong) announced that public official Jeong Mo, in charge of facilities at the Security Office, was arrested and indicted on bribery charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, and broker Kim Mo, involved in the bulletproof window construction, was arrested and indicted on fraud and other charges under the same act. Interior construction contractor A was indicted without detention on charges of bribery.

Jeong is accused of inflating construction costs between May and July 2022 to embezzle 100 million won, and of threatening Kim to have him pay 176 million won in construction costs owed to A. He is also charged with having a subordinate prepare false official documents and submitting false materials to the Board of Audit and Inspection. Furthermore, it was investigated that in November 2022, Jeong purchased a retired Security Office senior's forest land from A at about twice the market price, amounting to 70 million won.

Kim is accused of exploiting his friendship with Jeong in May 2022 to secure contracts for bulletproof window construction at the presidential office and the presidential residence, then inflating the construction costs to embezzle a total of 1.57 billion won.

The prosecution began the investigation in October last year at the request of the Board of Audit and Inspection. It was revealed that in August 2021, during the construction of former President Moon Jae-in's Yangsan residence, the contractor subcontracted the window construction to Kim, who was awarded about 200 million won worth of work. In March 2022, it was also investigated that Kim promised to receive about 16 million won, approximately 10% of the construction cost, from A as a reward for securing the construction contract for former President Park Geun-hye's Daegu residence.