Special Prosecutor's Office Conducts Seizures and Searches into 'Yangpyeong Gongheung District Favoritism Allegations,' Targeting First Lady's Family and Kim Seon-kyo (Comprehensive)

Involves First Lady's Mother Choi Eun-soon and Brother Kim Jin-woo, etc. – Targeting family company involved in development project

Assemblyman Kim Seon-kyo questions during the Forest Service's parliamentary audit (Daejeon=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Eun-pa = Assemblyman Kim Seon-kyo of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, is questioning during the parliamentary audit of the Forest Service held at the Daejeon Government Complex conference hall on the 16th. 2024.10.16 sw21@yna.co.kr

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporters Lee Young-seop and Lee Eui-jin = The special prosecutor's team, investigating allegations surrounding First Lady Kim Keon-hee, has initiated seizures and searches targeting the First Lady's family and People Power Party Assemblyman Kim Seon-kyo, in connection with the 'Yangpyeong Gongheung District favoritism allegations.'

The special prosecutor's team announced through a media briefing this morning that it had commenced seizures and searches of the residences and offices of the First Lady's mother, Choi Eun-soon, her brother, Kim Jin-woo, and Assemblyman Kim, among others.

Based on the materials secured today, the special prosecutor's team is expected to investigate the truth behind allegations that Choi's family company, ESI&D, received preferential treatment during an apartment development project in the Yangpyeong Gongheung district.

ESI&D carried out a city development project on a 22,411 square meter site in Gongheung-ri, Yangpyeong-gun between 2011 and 2016, constructing apartments for 350 households. Allegations of favoritism arose, primarily from the Democratic Party of Korea, when it became known that no development charges were imposed during the project and the project deadline was retroactively extended.

Assemblyman Kim was the mayor of Yangpyeong County during the project period.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, which investigated the case before it was transferred to the special prosecutor's team, received complaints from civic groups and others in November 2021 and forwarded five individuals, including Kim Jin-woo and ESI&D officials, to the prosecution in May 2023 on charges of forgery and use of private documents. Three Yangpyeong County public officials were forwarded on charges of fabrication and use of false official documents.

However, Choi was not forwarded due to insufficient evidence, and Kim Keon-hee was dismissed as there were insufficient grounds to initiate an investigation.

Assemblyman Kim has also been mentioned in connection with the Yangpyeong Expressway favoritism allegations.

This involves allegations that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport changed the terminal route of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project during former Minister Won Hee-ryong's tenure to a location near the First Lady's family's land, thereby granting preferential treatment.

The original route, with its terminus in Yangseo-myeon, had passed a preliminary feasibility study in 2021, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport abruptly began considering a terminus route in Gangsang-myeon, where the First Lady's family's land is located, in May 2023, leading to the controversy.

Assemblyman Kim is known to have been the person who requested the change in the expressway route to the area where the First Lady's family owns land.

He is reportedly known to have recently requested, through his aide, that the special prosecutor's team share the investigation status.

In response, the special prosecutor's team is reviewing whether charges of 'obstruction of justice' can be applied to Assemblyman Kim's aide and others.

younglee@yna.co.kr

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