The special prosecutor team led by Min Jungki, which is investigating allegations related to First Lady Kim Keonhee, announced on July 4 that it had summoned and questioned Lee Eunggeun, former CEO of Sambu Construction, in connection with suspicions of stock price manipulation involving the company.
Lee is suspected of deceiving investors around May to June 2023 by making it appear that Sambu Construction would actively pursue reconstruction projects in Ukraine, artificially inflating the stock price, and then selling his shares to gain illicit profits amounting to several tens of billions of won.
It is known that Lee oversaw the company's business activities at the time, including signing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between Sambu Construction and overseas companies related to the Ukraine reconstruction project.
Lee, along with former and current de facto owners of Sambu Construction?including former chairman Cho Seongok?was reported to the prosecution in April for alleged violations of the Capital Markets Act, including the prohibition of unfair trading practices. The special prosecutor team later took over the case.
The special prosecutor team is expected to focus its questioning on the specific circumstances behind the sharp fluctuations in Sambu Construction's stock price and whether former President Yoon Sukyeol and his wife were involved.
On the previous day, just one day after officially launching the investigation, the special prosecutor team conducted searches and seizures at a total of 13 locations, including six companies?such as Sambu Construction, DYD (the largest shareholder of Sambu Construction), and Iseok Industrial Development, which sold Sambu Construction shares to DYD?as well as the residences of seven related suspects.
Based on the evidence secured, it is expected that other related figures, including former chairman Cho, will also be summoned soon.
However, it is known that Kim Keonhee is not currently considered a suspect in this case.
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