Seoul ex-officials accused of illegally funding presidential residence upgrade

A special counsel team in South Korea indicted former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min and three other former senior officials from former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration over alleged irregularities linked to the 2022 relocation of the presidential residence.

Lee, former presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki, former presidential secretary for administrative affairs Yoon Jae-soon, and former presidential secretary for general affairs Kim Oh-jin were charged with abuse of power in connection with the case, Yonhap reports.

According to investigators, the officials illegally diverted 2.09 billion won (approximately $1.38 million) from the state budget to pay an interior design company for renovation work at the new presidential residence after it was moved from Cheong Wa Dae to Seoul's Yongsan district.

The company, 21 Gram, is suspected of securing the contract despite lacking the necessary qualifications, allegedly due to its connections with Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee.

The special counsel team alleges that 21 Gram's estimate for the renovation project was nearly three times higher than the initial budget allocated for interior work. Investigators claim that the presidential office subsequently pressured the Interior Ministry to cover the additional costs by unlawfully redirecting government funds.

The indictments mark the first brought by the special counsel team led by Kwon Chang-young since it was launched in late February to investigate allegations involving the former president that had not been fully addressed by previous special investigations.

The relocation of the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to Yongsan was one of Yoon's key campaign pledges. Incumbent President Lee Jae Myung has since returned the presidential office to Cheong Wa Dae.

In a separate development, Kwon's team filed arrest warrant requests on Tuesday for former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Myung-soo and three other former military officials, according to legal sources.

The four are accused of playing key roles in an alleged insurrection linked to Yoon's failed martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024. Prosecutors allege that the officials failed, or refused, to prevent the deployment of troops to the National Assembly following the declaration.

Investigators believe Kim Myung-soo did not recommend withdrawing martial law troops from parliament despite being warned by his deputies that the deployment could be illegal.

A court is expected to hold hearings on the arrest warrant requests for Kim and the other former military officials later this week.

By Vafa Guliyeva