The special prosecutor Kim Keon-hee announced on the afternoon of the 14th that it had notified Kakao Mobility and others of summons investigations related to the 'Housekeeper Gate' allegations.
Special prosecutor's aide O Jeong-hee said during a press briefing around 2:30 p.m. that, "To quickly uncover the truth of the Housekeeper Gate incident and prevent evidence destruction, relevant corporations will be summoned starting this week," noting that, "As a first step, notifications of summons have been issued to Korea Securities Finance, HS HYOSUNG, Kakao Mobility, and Kiwoom Securities."
He further stated, "We request that the summons targets participate sincerely in the investigation to uncover the truth of the incident."
The special prosecutor also expressed hope that Kim, who is identified as the 'housekeeper' of former President Yoon Suk-yeol's wife Kim Keon-hee and her family, would return immediately and cooperate with the investigation, saying, "I hope that the spouse of Kim, who is suspected of holding shares of Inovest Korea in a nominal capacity, will promptly undergo investigation by the special prosecutor."
Housekeeper Gate is related to an investment of 18.4 billion won by large corporations and financial institutions in 2023 in a loss-making rental car company operated by a person surnamed Kim, who served as the housekeeper for Kim Keon-hee and her mother Choi Eun-soon. The special prosecutor is suspicious that the investment was made with the expectation of benefits, considering the close relationship between Kim and Kim Keon-hee. Another company operated by Kim was also listed as a sponsor for a exhibition by Kobana Contents.
Meanwhile, the special prosecutor plans to request arrest warrants for individuals related to the allegations of unfair trading of SAMBU Construction stocks. After conducting a search and seizure on SAMBU Construction and others on the 3rd, the special prosecutor summoned and questioned former CEO Lee Eung-geun, CEO Oh Il-lok, former CEO Jeong Chang-rae, former chairman Jo Seong-ok, and chairman Lee Il-jun in succession. On the 13th, they summoned Lee Gi-hoon, chairman of Well Biotec and vice chairman of SAMBU Construction, and former CEO Gu Se-hyun of Well Biotec.
On the morning of the same day, the special prosecutor also searched and seized around 10 places, including the Presidential Records Center, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and service companies.
In relation to this, the special prosecutor stated, "We conducted a search and seizure of the Presidential Records Center to verify the allegations of unfair nominations and election interference by Kim Keon-hee in the 22nd National Assembly election," adding that, "We are currently conducting searches of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and related service companies in Sejong City regarding allegations that Kim Keon-hee and her family unfairly intervened in the process of changing the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway route."
The allegations of preferential treatment regarding the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway were raised in 2023. The allegations state that, in May 2023, the year following the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the endpoint of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway route was suddenly changed from the existing Yangseo-myeon in Yangpyeong-gun to Gangsan-myeon, which has 28 parcels of land (22,663 square meters) owned by Kim Keon-hee's family. This has led to suspicions that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the competent ministry, granted favorable treatment to elevate the land price owned by Kim Keon-hee's family.