Kim Keon-hee and Yoon Han-hong deny charges over ‘presidential residence relocation’ ... Court says special counsel must supplement its case

[Financial News] Kim Keon-hee and People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Han-hong, who were indicted on charges including improperly intervening in the relocation of the presidential residence during Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration, denied all the charges. The court also called on the special counsel to supplement the statement of charges and list of evidence it had submitted.
The Seoul Central District Court’s 22nd Criminal Division, presided over by Judge Cho Hyung-woo, held the second trial-preparation hearing on the 19th in the case against Ms. Kim and Yoon on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (receiving bribes through arranging) and abuse of authority and obstruction of another’s exercise of rights.
A trial-preparation hearing is a stage for organizing the issues and evidence before the trial proper, but the special counsel’s statement of charges drew repeated criticism.
At the first trial-preparation hearing, the court told the special counsel to consider applying Article 33 of the Criminal Act to the abuse-of-authority charge. The court noted that the legal basis for indicting Ms. Kim as an accomplice on that charge had not been adequately supplemented, even though she was not a public official.
The court called for revisions that day, saying the purpose of the evidence submitted by the special counsel team had not been sufficiently explained in the list of evidence. Regarding an item on the list that said only “facts of the indictment,” the court pointed out, “How can you write just those four characters, ‘facts of the indictment’?” and added, “It should be clear enough to identify which item the material relates to.”
The court then asked the team to specify the purpose of each piece of evidence and check whether there were additional materials to submit from witness examination records in related cases.
When the special counsel team replied, “We’ll review it later and reflect whatever is needed,” the court stressed, “This isn’t a matter of reviewing; you need to write it down,” adding, “It should be clear enough to identify which item the material relates to. Please add a note for reference.”
Ms. Kim and Yoon were indicted last August on charges of improperly intervening in 2022, when the relocation of the presidential residence was being pursued, to help 21 Grams, a company without the required qualifications, win the construction contract.
The special counsel team believes that Ms. Kim, Yoon and others changed the location of the presidential residence after making three advance site visits.
It was also an issue that 21 Grams, selected as the construction contractor, lacked a general construction license and was therefore unqualified. Yoon is also suspected of instructing Kim Oh-jin, former First Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, to select 21 Grams for the presidential residence construction project. The special counsel team also suspects that Ms. Cho, the wife of 21 Grams’ CEO, provided Ms. Kim with Dior products worth 6.88 million won, ostensibly to secure the contract for work on the presidential residence.
The side representing Kim, the CEO of 21 Grams who was also indicted, said that its position was “to deny all of it (the allegations in the indictment).”
The court decided to hold one more trial-preparation hearing on the 9th of next month, then proceed with the first trial at 10 a.m. on the 23rd of that month.
[email protected] Lee Chang-hoon Reporter