Arrest Warrant Issued for Former Vice Minister Kim Ohjin in 'Yoon Suk-yeol Residence Relocation Favoritism' Case

Hwang, Former Presidential Secretariat Official, Also Detained

Kim Ohjin, former First Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and a key figure in the 'Presidential Residence Relocation Favoritism Allegation' involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife, as well as Hwang, a former administrative officer at the Presidential Secretariat, were arrested on December 17.

Kim Ohjin, former Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and a key figure in the 'Presidential Residence Relocation Favoritism Allegation,' is leaving the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu on the 16th after completing the pre-trial detention hearing and is heading to the detention center. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the previous day, Lee Jeongjae, Chief Judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, held a pre-trial detention hearing for Kim, who is charged with abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of rights, violation of the Framework Act on the Construction Industry, and fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, as well as for Hwang. On the morning of December 17, the judge issued the warrants, stating, "There are concerns about destruction of evidence."

They are suspected of being involved in enabling 21Gram, an interior design company without a general construction license, to unfairly win the contract for the relocation and expansion of the presidential residence after former President Yoon was elected in the 20th presidential election. 21Gram sponsored exhibitions hosted by Covana Contents, operated by Mrs. Kim, and was responsible for the design and construction of the Covana Contents office. It is known that Kim Taeyoung, CEO of 21Gram, and his spouse have a close relationship with Mrs. Kim.

Kim, the former vice minister, oversaw the practical aspects of the residence relocation, serving as the head of the first division of the Presidential Transition Committee's Blue House Relocation Task Force, and later as the administrative secretary of the Presidential Secretariat. Hwang was a staff member of the first division of the Blue House Relocation Task Force within the transition committee and is reported to have been involved in the process of selecting the contractor for the residence relocation.

The special prosecutor's team believes that 21Gram received preferential treatment by leveraging its relationship with Mrs. Kim. Initially, another company had been commissioned for the construction, but around May 2022, the Presidential Security Service reportedly changed the contractor to 21Gram without prior notice.