The special investigation team said on the 25th that it is conducting a search and seizure at the homes of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee, as well as at Covana Contents and Com2uS Holdings.
During a regular briefing that day, the special investigation team stated that it is conducting a search and seizure of Covana Contents in relation to allegations of bribery, luxury bag acceptance, and intervention in candidate nominations, saying, "We are conducting searches at the offices of Covana Contents and Com2uS Holdings."
The allegations of sponsorship by Covana Contents suggest that corporations may have provided sponsorship with ulterior motives or in exchange for favors during exhibitions planned by Kim Keon-hee, including the Le Corbusier Exhibition (2016–2017), Alberto Giacometti Exhibition (2017–2018), and the Masterpieces of Fauvism Exhibit (2019). Covana Contents is an exhibition planning company operated by Kim Keon-hee. A total of 23, 10, and 28 corporations sponsored each of the three exhibitions, respectively. Corporations that participated as sponsors included Deutsch Motors, which has been implicated in allegations of stock manipulation involving Kim Keon-hee, large corporations, and financial companies.
Com2uS Holdings (then Gamevil) is under suspicion of having sponsored a total of about 219.5 million won for the three exhibitions for quid pro quo reasons. At the time of sponsorship for the Giacometti and Fauvism exhibitions, Chairman Song Byeong-jun of Com2uS Holdings was under investigation by the prosecution. Chairman Song was investigated by the Central District Prosecutors' Office for allegations of undisclosed stock dealings (violation of the Capital Markets Act) but was ultimately found not guilty. At the time of sponsorship for the Giacometti and Fauvism exhibitions, Yoon Suk-yeol was serving as the Prosecutor General of Seoul.
The special investigation team also noted that it is simultaneously conducting search and seizure related to the allegations of preferential treatment in the development of the Yangpyeong Gongheung district. They stated, "We are conducting searches at eight locations, including the residences and offices of former Yangpyeong County Mayor Kim Seon-kyo, Kim Keon-hee's mother, and her brother." They added that the search targets include "the development project implementer ESI&D and the nursing home operated by (Kim Keon-hee's mother) Choi Eun-soon."
The company ESI&D, associated with Kim Keon-hee's family, conducted an urban development project spanning 22,411 square meters in Gongheung-ri, Yangpyeong-gun from 2011 to 2016, building an apartment complex with about 350 units.
However, allegations of preferential treatment arose when it was revealed that no development burden fees were imposed during the project and the project deadline was retroactively extended.
According to the 2017 audit report, the equity in ESI&D was held by the eldest son, Kim Jin-woo, and the second son, Kim Jin-han, with 29.8% each, their mother Choi Eun-soon with 21.0%, and Kim Keon-hee's sister Kim Ji-young with 19.4%.
Kim, a former Yangpyeong County Mayor, is known to have been the party requesting a change in the highway route where Kim Keon-hee's family owns land.
The allegations regarding the change of the end point of the Yangpyeong Expressway state that during the term of former Minister Won Hee-ryong, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport changed the end point of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project to the area where Kim Keon-hee's family owns land, giving preferential treatment.
The original plan for the end point in Yangseo-myeon passed the preliminary feasibility study until 2021; however, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport suddenly began reviewing a new endpoint route in Gangsan-myeon, where Kim Keon-hee's family land is located, in May 2023.