Illegal Budget Diversion to Pay Construction Costs to Non-Qualified Company 21Gram Allegation,
,
,
Yoon Jae-soon, former Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office, attending special counsel investigation
(Gwacheon=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Ju-hyung = Yoon Jae-soon, former Chief of Staff of the Presidential Office, is attending the office of the second comprehensive special prosecutor team led by Kwon Chang-young in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on May 14, 2026. 2026.5.14 [email protected],
,
, “(Seoul/Gwacheon=Yonhap News) Reporters Lee Bright and Choi Yoon-sun = The second comprehensive special prosecutor team led by Kwon Chang-young has summoned Yoon Jae-soon, former Chief Secretary of the Presidential Office, as a suspect on charges of abuse of power related to the ‘Presidential Residence Relocation Suspicion’ during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.”,
,
, ‘ Yoon attended the special prosecutor’s office at around 9:30 a.m. for questioning.’,
,
, ‘ Yoon is accused of illegally diverting budget funds and facilitating the payment to an unqualified company during the presidential residence relocation.’,
,
, ‘ The special prosecutor team is investigating the allegations that the unqualified company 21Gram improperly secured a renovation contract due to its connection with Kim Keon-hee.’,
,
, ‘ Previously, the special prosecutor team found that 21Gram demanded construction costs based on estimates without objective evidence, such as blueprints. This was executed without review or adjustment, under the presidential office’s directive, illegally appropriating and using government budgets.’,
,
, ‘ According to the Construction Industry Basic Act, a comprehensive construction license is required for expansions and other constructions.’,
,
, ‘ However, 21Gram is registered only for interior work (interior architecture) and conducting residence expansion or structural reinforcement is against the law.’,
,
, ‘ 21Gram sponsored an exhibition hosted by Cobana Contents, operated by Kim Keon-hee, and was responsible for office design and construction.’,
,
, ‘ It is known that Kim has close relations with the spouse of the company’s representative.’,
,
, ” It has been suggested that Kim used her influence through so-called ‘Yoon’s key figures’ to have 21Gram secure the residence renovation contract, yet specific evidence of Kim’s involvement has not been revealed.”,
,
, ‘ The special prosecutor team is currently focusing its investigative efforts on confirming whether there was illegal budget diversion during the residence renovation process.’,
,
, ‘ On this day, the special prosecutor team executed a search warrant on the Board of Audit and Inspection to verify if there were any illegal actions during their audits between 2022 and 2024 related to the residence relocation suspicions.’,
,
, ‘ Previously, search and seizures were conducted on related government departments, including the Ministry of Planning and Budget, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, to secure relevant materials.’,
,
, ‘ The special prosecutor team also summoned Kim Oh-jin, former Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, for questioning the day before and plans to subpoena Kim Dae-gi, former Chief of Staff of the Presidential Secretariat, on the 15th as a suspect for further investigation.’,
,
, ‘ [email protected]’,
,
.