Two Months on the Run... Warrant Review Scheduled for the 12th
Special Prosecutor Imposes Travel Bans on Eight Accomplices Who Aided Escape
The special prosecutor team led by Min Jungki, which is investigating allegations related to First Lady Kim Keonhee, will request an arrest warrant for Lee Kihun, Vice Chairman of Sambu Construction and Chairman of Wellbiotech, on September 11. Lee is known as the mastermind behind the alleged stock price manipulation of Sambu Construction. He fled ahead of his warrant review and was apprehended the previous day after 55 days on the run.
Special Prosecutor Kim Hyeonggeun stated at a press briefing that afternoon, "Yesterday, we arrested Vice Chairman Lee, who had been hiding on the third floor of a villa in Okam-dong, Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, and have been questioning him since this morning. We plan to request an arrest warrant immediately after completing the investigation this evening."
The special prosecutor team, in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Criminal Task Force, analyzed communications and account transaction records and interviewed people close to Lee. Through this investigation, they discovered that Lee had been hiding in a villa complex in Ogam-dong, Mokpo, with the help of accomplices.
After fleeing, Lee continued to evade authorities in Gapyeong, Mokpo, and Uljin, and has been staying at the villa in Mokpo since last month. Special Prosecutor Kim said, "We have identified eight key accomplices who assisted Lee Kihun's escape and have imposed travel bans on them. We will thoroughly investigate and ensure those who aided his flight are strictly punished."
Lee is accused of participating in the stock price manipulation of Sambu Construction from May to September 2023, resulting in illicit gains worth several tens of billions of won.
The special prosecutor team believes that Sambu Construction deceived investors by distributing press releases in May 2023, claiming that the company had signed various business agreements with local governments in Poland during the Ukraine Reconstruction Forum, thereby creating the impression that it would participate in reconstruction projects. Sambu Construction, classified as a Ukraine reconstruction stock, saw its share price surge from around 1,000 won in May 2023 to as high as 5,500 won within two months.
The investigation into stock price manipulation allegations surrounding Wellbiotech, also led by Lee, has gained momentum as a result. Wellbiotech, together with Sambu Construction, is accused of manipulating the market by misleading investors into believing it would participate in the Ukraine reconstruction project in May 2023. The special prosecutor team has been investigating Lee as the link connecting Sambu Construction and Wellbiotech.
The warrant review for Lee is scheduled to take place on September 12 at the Seoul Central District Court.
Additional Search and Seizure at Unification Church Over 'People Power Party Membership Allegations'
Additionally, on this day, the special prosecutor team conducted search and seizure operations at seven locations, including the Unification Church World Headquarters and five regional branches, in connection with allegations of mass membership registrations in the People Power Party. The search included not only the Unification Church headquarters in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, but also the national branches of the affiliated organization, the Universal Peace Federation.
The Universal Peace Federation, an affiliate of the Unification Church, was identified as the organization that encouraged church members to join the party by distributing membership applications ahead of the People Power Party convention in March 2023. The special prosecutor team believes that Yoon, who served as head of the Unification Church World Headquarters, and Jeon Seongbae, also known as Geonjin Beopsa, facilitated the mass registration of church members to support Kweon Seongdong's bid for party leadership.
Back in July, the special prosecutor team had already conducted extensive search and seizure operations at church-related facilities, including the Gapyeong and Seoul headquarters and various affiliated organizations.
The special prosecutor team believes that the ties between the Yoon Sukyeol administration and the Unification Church have deepened through First Lady Kim. The team has summoned Han Hakja, President of the Unification Church and the key figure in the alleged collusion between politics and religion, to appear for questioning at 10 a.m. on September 15.
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