Seoul: A court issued a warrant to arrest a land ministry official Wednesday over suspected involvement in a controversial expressway project allegedly rerouted to benefit former first lady Kim Keon Hee's family. The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant for the official, surnamed Kim, citing flight risk.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim is accused of accepting money and gifts from a businessman during the selection process for a construction company for the Seoul-Yangpyeong expressway project. The allegation centers on suspicions that the land ministry gave preferential treatment to the former first lady by altering the endpoint of the project to where her family owns land in Yangpyeong, just east of Seoul, in 2023.
Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team sent investigators to search Kim's residence in July and reportedly found a bundle of cash. They later conducted a separate investigation into the case and found evidence suggesting the official received some 30 million won (US$21,783), and filed an arrest warrant for Kim on Monday.
Kim, who currently works at the Wonju Regional Office of Construction Management in the city, some 90 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is suspected of having proposed the endpoint change to benefit Kim Keon Hee.