Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor, Arrest Warrant for Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Secretary... 'Non-attendance' Arrest Warrant for Han Hak-ja Under Review

[Financial News] Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Team (Min Jung-gi Special Prosecutor) is seeking to secure the arrest of Kim Mo, a secretary of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as part of an investigation into 'Yangpyeong Expressway endpoint change preferential treatment suspicion'.
Kim Hyeong-geun, Deputy Special Prosecutor, announced on the 15th that an arrest warrant was requested for Kim, who is accused of bribery under the Special Act. However, this case is separate from the Yangpyeong Expressway suspicion and was identified during the investigation.
The pre-arrest interrogation for Kim is scheduled to take place at 10:30 AM on the 17th at the Seoul Central District Court.
Kim was a secretary in the Road Policy Division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport during the Yangpyeong Expressway case. He is accused of proposing and intervening in route changes with Donghae Comprehensive Technology Corporation and Kyungdong Engineering, which were the contractors at the time.
In 2023, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport changed the endpoint of the existing Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway from Yangseo-myeon to Gangsang-myeon, where it was confirmed that the family of Kim Geon-hee owns real estate, sparking controversy over preferential treatment. Subsequently, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong denied this and canceled the plan.
The Special Prosecutor Team summoned Kim for investigation on July 15 and August 15, and discovered bundles of money of unknown origin during a search and seizure of his residence.
Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor Team is considering securing the arrest of Han Hak-ja, President of the Unification Church, who did not respond to the summons for investigation on this day.
President Han did not attend the summons on the 8th and 11th due to health reasons, and also did not attend on this day. The Special Prosecutor Team believes that President Han's side unilaterally notified the investigation schedule and is considering compulsory measures.
In criminal cases, if a suspect does not respond to three summons notifications from the investigative agency, an arrest warrant is requested. President Han has expressed willingness to voluntarily appear on the 17th or 18th. 
A Special Prosecutor Team official stated, "We understand President Han's non-attendance as a unilateral notification of intent," and "We will proceed with the investigation schedule according to the law and principles, regardless of the suspect's intention to voluntarily appear."
President Han is accused of delivering gifts worth 80 million won, including two Chanel bags, a Graff necklace, and Cheonsusam concentrate tea, to Jeon Seong-bae, known as Geonjin Beopsa, through former Unification Church World Headquarters Director Yoon Yeong-ho in 2022 as gifts for Kim Geon-hee. During this process, former Director Yoon testified that President Han's permission was granted while conveying the church's requests, including △Unification Church's acquisition of YTN △Support for the Mekong River development project in Cambodia △Attracting the UN's 5th office to Korea.
President Han is also suspected of delivering cash and other valuables to Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, through former Director Yoon, and receiving information related to overseas gambling investigations from Representative Kwon.



theknight@fnnews.com Jeong Kyung-soo Reporter