The special investigation team is conducting searches on the residences and offices of Kim Keon-hee's mother, Choi Eun-soon, and her biological brother, Kim Jin-woo, on the 25th in relation to the 'Yangpyeong development preferential treatment' allegations.
The special investigation team stated on that morning, 'We have begun searches of the residences and offices of lawmakers Kim Seon-kyo, Choi Eun-soon, and Kim Jin-woo in relation to the Yangpyeong Gonghung District development case.'
The search targets that day reportedly included the home of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife located at Acrovista in Seocho District, Seoul. The special investigation team stated, 'Around 9:10 a.m. today, we began a search of the couple's residence in Acrovista, Seocho-dong, in connection to ongoing investigations.'
The company ESI&D, which belongs to Kim Keon-hee's family, conducted urban development projects on a 22,411 square meter area in Gonghung-ri, Yangpyeong County, from 2011 to 2016, building an apartment complex with 350 units.
However, allegations of preferential treatment arose when it was revealed that no development charges were imposed during the process and that the project deadline was extended retroactively.
According to the 2017 audit report, the equity of ESI&D was held by first son Kim Jin-woo and second son Kim Jin-han at 29.8% each, Choi Eun-soon at 21.0%, and Kim Keon-hee's sister, Kim Ji-young, at 19.4%.
The special investigation team is also securing documents and files from the computer at the office of lawmaker Kim that morning, related to the allegations of the 'Yangpyeong Expressway endpoint change.' Kim, a former Yangpyeong County mayor, is known to be the party who requested the expressway route change to where Kim Keon-hee's family land is located.
The allegations regarding the expressway endpoint change suggest that, during former Minister Won Hee-ryong's tenure, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport altered the endpoint route of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project to favor the land owned by Kim Keon-hee's family.
The original endpoint route in Yangseo-myeon passed the preliminary feasibility study in 2021, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport unexpectedly reviewed the endpoint route in Gangsam-myeon, where Kim Keon-hee's family's land is located, in May 2023, which brought the issue to light.