Special counsel raids ex-Yoon aides over alleged illegal diversion of ministry funds

The second comprehensive special counsel said Tuesday that it raided the homes of former Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki and former presidential general affairs secretary Yoon Jae-soon, and imposed travel bans on the two over allegations related to the relocation of the presidential office and residence during former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration.

The special counsel is looking into allegations that government ministry budgets were illegally diverted to pay an unlicensed contractor during the relocation of Yoon’s office and official residence.

“An unlicensed firm demanded payment for construction work without objective supporting evidence and ministry budgets were unlawfully redirected at the instruction of the presidential office without proper verification or adjustment procedures,” said assistant special counsel Kim Ji-mi during a press briefing on Tuesday.

The special counsel also conducted raids on the Ministry of Planning and Budget, the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Ministry of Public Administration and Safety.

Investigators are examining allegations that 21 Gram, an unlicensed contractor lacking a general construction business permit, won unfair preferential treatment in securing contracts for the relocation and expansion of the presidential office and residence by leveraging its ties to former first lady Kim Keon Hee.

In the course of the probe, the special counsel said it found signs that the amount demanded by 21 Gram for the work was inflated beyond the originally allocated budget.

Investigators also suspect the money was paid out unlawfully from administrative budgets without meaningful review or due process.

Kim also said the special counsel raided the home of an aide to former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun earlier in the day. The aide, surnamed Yang, is accused of destroying a laptop used by the former minister on Dec. 5, 2024, after the lifting of martial law.