Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin appeared as a witness before Special Prosecutor Kim Keon-hee on the 4th in connection with the 'SAMBU Construction stock manipulation' allegation.
Former Minister Park arrived at the special prosecutor's office located in the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, around 2 p.m. that day.
The special prosecutor is expected to question former Minister Park about the circumstances surrounding the unplanned visit to Ukraine by former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife during their tour of Lithuania and Poland in July 2023. Former Minister Park was the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the visit to Ukraine.
The SAMBU Construction stock manipulation allegation suggests that the company's stock price surged as it emerged as a key player in the reconstruction theme of Ukraine from 2022 to 2023, due to the activities of stock manipulation forces.
Lee Jong-ho, former head of Black Pearl Investment who managed the account of former President Yoon's wife, reportedly sent a message saying, "Check SAMBU tomorrow" in a KakaoTalk group chat with acquaintances from the Marine Corps on May 14, 2023.
Two days later, on May 16, former President Yoon and his wife met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's wife, Olena Zelenska. Six days later, on May 22, then-Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong and officials from SAMBU Construction attended the Global Reconstruction Forum for Ukraine held in Poland.
Following this, SAMBU Construction publicly announced the signing of an MOU related to reconstruction projects with Mariupol city in Ukraine and construction companies in Poland on May 23. The stock price of SAMBU Construction remained in the 1,000 won range until mid-May 2023, jumping to 5,500 won during trading in mid-July.
Additionally, the special prosecutor is expected to inquire about the Cambodian Official Development Assistance (ODA) project mentioned in the 'Geonjin Beopsa solicitation allegation' from former Minister Park.
This allegation states that the Unification Church provided expensive gifts through Geonjin Beopsa Jeon Seong-bae to solicit Kim Keon-hee regarding current issues, including the development of the Mekong River site in Cambodia, acquisition of YTN, and invitations to the presidential inauguration ceremony.