The Special Prosecutor's team investigating allegations against Kim Keon-hee will summon the executives of the service company related to the 'Yangpyeong Expressway route change favorability allegations' for questioning.
On the afternoon of the 14th, the Special Prosecutor's team announced, "In relation to the Yangpyeong Expressway case, we have notified six individuals, including Lee Sang-hwa, the vice president of Donghae Comprehensive Engineering Corporation, to appear at 10 a.m. on the 15th" and added, "The allegations include breach of trust in connection with official duties."
The Special Prosecutor's team conducted searches and seizures at more than 10 locations, including the office of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Spokesperson's office, the audit office, the road policy division, and the design office of the Korea Expressway Corporation, as well as at Donghae Comprehensive Engineering Corporation and Kyungdong Engineering, which were contracted for the Yangpyeong Expressway project.
The search warrant identifies 14 individuals as suspects, including former Minister Won Hee-ryong of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, with abuse of authority indicated as a criminal charge. However, former Minister Won and People Power Party lawmaker Kim Sun-kyo were not included among those targeted in the search.
The Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway entered full-scale development in April 2021 after passing a preliminary feasibility study by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. However, in March of the following year, during a feasibility study conducted by Donghae Comprehensive Engineering Corporation and Kyungdong Engineering, the endpoint was changed from Yangseo-myeon in Yangpyeong County to Gangsan-myeon in Yangpyeong County, where 28 parcels of land owned by Kim Keon-hee's family are located, sparking allegations of favoritism.
The key focus of this investigation appears to be whether former Minister Won and lawmaker Kim, who is a former Yangpyeong County mayor, were involved in the process of changing the endpoint of the Yangpyeong Expressway. This has fueled expectations that the Special Prosecutor's team will summon both individuals for a thorough investigation. Former Minister Won and lawmaker Kim are currently under a travel ban.