Special Prosecutor: "Chairman Lee is Not Exercising His Right to Remain Silent"
Confession States, "Gift Was Given While Requesting Appointment for Son-in-Law"
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Official Searched in 'Yangpyeong Expressway Suspicion' Investigation
Following the confession of Bonggwan Lee, Chairman of Sehee Construction, who admitted to gifting the "NATO necklace" to First Lady Keonhee Kim and requesting a favor, his eldest son-in-law, Sungkeun Park, former Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, appeared before Special Prosecutor Jungki Min's team on September 2.
Sungkeun Park, Former Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Appears Before Special Prosecutor. Yonhap News
At a regular briefing on September 2, Special Prosecutor Sangjin Park stated, "Chairman Lee was summoned as a suspect at 10 a.m., and his son-in-law, former Chief Secretary Park, was summoned as a witness for questioning at 2 p.m."
The special investigation team is conducting its inquiry centered on the confession previously submitted by Chairman Lee. Special Prosecutor Park said, "Chairman Lee is not exercising his right to remain silent, is cooperating well with the questioning, and, as far as I know, is not in poor health to the extent that he cannot testify."
Previously, suspicions arose that the necklace worn by First Lady Kim during her North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) tour in June 2022 had been omitted from former President Seokyeol Yoon's asset disclosure. According to the Public Service Ethics Act, jewelry valued over 5 million won must be reported, but the necklace, worth 62 million won, was allegedly not included in the asset declaration.
First Lady Kim claimed it was a counterfeit purchased in Hong Kong 20 years ago. However, Chairman Lee submitted a confession stating that in March 2022, he gifted First Lady Kim a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and other expensive jewelry, while requesting that former prosecutor Park be given an opportunity to serve in public office. Attorney Park was, in fact, appointed as Chief Secretary to then-Prime Minister Ducksoo Han approximately three months after the necklace was delivered.
The special investigation team, which is also investigating the "Geonjin Buddhist Monk Favor Request Suspicion," plans to summon the key suspect, Seongbae Jeon, at least once more before the expiration of his detention period on September 9. In relation to this, the team summoned and questioned Changwook Park, Governor of North Gyeongsang Province, as a suspect at 10 a.m. on the same day. Assemblyman Park is suspected of having requested a nomination from the People Power Party leadership through Mr. Jeon during the June 2022 local elections.
'Yangpyeong Expressway Route Change' Second Search and Seizure of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Official
Additionally, from the morning of the same day, the special investigation team conducted a further search and seizure of Mr. Kim, an official at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport who was responsible for the Yangpyeong Expressway route change at the time.
The special investigation team conducted a search and seizure at Yangpyeong County Office and other locations on the 22nd in relation to the 'Yangpyeong Expressway Route Change Suspicion.' Yonhap News
Special Prosecutor Park stated, "In connection with the suspicion of changing the terminus of the Yangpyeong Expressway, we are conducting searches and seizures at five locations, including Mr. Kim's residence and the Wonju Regional Land Management Office, starting this morning."
The special investigation team is investigating allegations that, during the planning of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project, the route's terminus was changed to land owned by First Lady Kim's family, granting them undue benefits.
The core of the suspicion is that, during the tenure of former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Heeryong Won, the original plan for the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway, which had Yangseo-myeon in Yangpyeong County as its terminus, was reviewed for a change to Gangsang-myeon, where First Lady Kim's family owns land, in May 2023. Assemblyman Seongkyo Kim of the People Power Party, a former Yangpyeong County Governor, is known to have requested the route change to the area where the First Lady's family land is located. As controversy grew, former Minister Won canceled the project in July 2023.
Previously, the special investigation team conducted searches and seizures related to these suspicions at Assemblyman Kim's National Assembly office, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's office, the Korea Expressway Corporation's design office, and the offices of Donghae Engineering & Consultants and Kyungdong Engineering, which were involved in the Yangpyeong Expressway project at the time.
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