Key Figure in Unification Church and Nomination Solicitation Allegations
Jeon Seongbae to Be Summoned as Suspect on the 18th
Comprehensive Raids over 'Presidential Residence Relocation Favoritism'
Special Prosecutor Accelerates Probe Just One Day After Kim Gunhee's Arrest
With the arrest of Kim Gunhee, the wife of former President Yoon Sukyeol, Special Prosecutor Min Jungki's team has gained momentum to pursue investigations not only into major allegations such as the Deutsche Motors stock price manipulation, nomination interference involving Myung Taegyun, and solicitation by Geonjin Bopsa, but also into other related cases. Just one day after Kim's detention, the special prosecutor's team summoned Geonjin Bopsa and accelerated their investigation by conducting raids at the Board of Audit and Inspection and the People Power Party headquarters.
Kim Gunhee, wife of former President Yoon Sukyeol, is leaving the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, after attending the pre-arrest detention hearing on the afternoon of August 12, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps
On August 13, the special prosecutor's office announced to the media, "We plan to summon and question the suspect, Jeon Seongbae, also known as Geonjin Bopsa, at 10:00 a.m. on the 8th."
Jeon, a key figure in the so-called 'Geonjin Bopsa Gate,' is accused of receiving a diamond necklace and a Chanel bag-purportedly as gifts for Kim Gunhee-from the Unification Church between April and August 2022, as well as requests related to church matters, and then delivering these items to Kim. He is being investigated for charges including aggravated bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
During a previous prosecution investigation, Jeon admitted to receiving the items but claimed to have lost all of them. The person who delivered the items and requests to Jeon was Yoon, a former global headquarters executive of the Unification Church, who is currently in custody on charges including violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. Yoon's requests reportedly included support for the Unification Church's Mekong River development project in Cambodia, the acquisition of YTN by the Unification Church, the bid to host the United Nations Fifth Secretariat in Korea, and an invitation to the presidential inauguration.
During her questioning by the special prosecutor on August 6, Kim Gunhee stated that she had never received a necklace or bag from Jeon. Jeon is also suspected of accepting money under the pretext of prayer fees from political figures ahead of the June 1, 2022 local elections and passing on nomination-related requests to Kim and other key political contacts.
On the same day, the special prosecutor's team conducted a search and seizure at the People Power Party headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, in connection with the 'Geonjin Bopsa solicitation allegations.' It was reported that they also sought to examine documents from the party's secretariat, as some of its members are suspected of involvement.
Investigation into Alleged Preferential Audit of Presidential Residence Relocation
Additionally, on this day, the special prosecutor's team accelerated its investigation into allegations of a lenient audit regarding preferential treatment in the relocation of the presidential residence. In the morning, prosecutors and investigators were dispatched to the Board of Audit and Inspection and the interior design firm 21gram to secure documentary evidence and computer files.
The special prosecutor's team is examining whether the Board of Audit and Inspection conducted a thorough audit into the so-called 'Presidential Office and Residence Relocation Allegations.'
In October 2022, the civic group People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy filed a petition with the Board of Audit and Inspection, claiming that the relocation of the presidential office resulted in wasteful government spending and that officials had given preferential treatment to certain companies. In September last year, the Board of Audit and Inspection announced that 21gram, the company that effectively oversaw the residence construction, began work before signing a contract and subcontracted work to 15 unqualified companies, thereby violating the Framework Act on the Construction Industry.
However, criticism arose that the Board of Audit and Inspection failed to sufficiently investigate key suspicions, such as the specific circumstances under which 21gram was awarded the construction project. 21gram is a company that sponsored exhibitions hosted by Covana Contents, operated by Kim Gunhee, and was responsible for the design and construction of Covana Contents' office. There have been allegations that the company won the residence expansion project based on its relationship with Kim.
Kim Ohjin, former Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, who oversaw the practical aspects of the presidential residence relocation, told the Board of Audit and Inspection, "We selected companies after receiving recommendations from the Presidential Transition Committee and the Presidential Security Service," but added, "I do not remember exactly who recommended 21gram."
The special prosecutor's team is expected to investigate whether the Board of Audit and Inspection deliberately overlooked further investigation into how 21gram secured the construction contract.
Meanwhile, on the previous day, Judge Jeong Jaeuk, the judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, issued an arrest warrant for Kim Gunhee at the request of the special prosecutor's team on charges including violations of the Capital Markets Act. Kim is reportedly being held in a solitary cell at Seoul Southern Detention Center. This marks the first time in the country's constitutional history that both a former president and their spouse have been detained at the same time.
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