Special counsel to question ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee on presidential residence relocation project

A special counsel team said on Monday that it has summoned former first lady Kim Keon Hee for questioning over alleged irregularities in the 2022 relocation of the presidential residence.

The team, led by special counsel Kwon Chang-young, has asked the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol to appear for questioning on Sunday morning, assistant special counsel Kim Ji-mi said at a press briefing.

“We plan to question her about allegations that she was involved in selecting the construction company,” she said, referring to 21 Gram, an interior design company that renovated the new presidential residence in Yongsan District, central Seoul, following its relocation from the Blue House in 2022.

The special counsel team suspects that 21 Gram won the project despite being unqualified due to its past ties to the former first lady.

President Lee Jae Myung has returned the presidential residence, along with the presidential office that was relocated to the Ministry of National Defense compound under Yoon, to the Blue House.

Yonhap