The special investigation unit is conducting a search and seizure of former Prime Minister Park Seong-keun's office in connection with the 'luxury necklace suspicion' on the 28th.
The special investigation unit noted in an announcement that "today morning, we commenced a search and seizure of the residence of former Prime Minister Park Seong-keun in connection with the case of 'Kim Keon-hee's necklace, watch, and other suspicious gifts.'"
Park Seong-keun, a former prosecutor and son-in-law of Seohee Construction Chairman Lee Bong-kwan, was appointed as the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister in 2022 under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The special investigation unit is investigating whether Seohee Construction handed a necklace to Kim Keon-hee in exchange for the Chief of Staff position.
The special investigation unit believes that Seohee Construction purchased a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace worth about 60 million won for the purpose of solicitation and handed it over to Kim Keon-hee. This necklace is a 'Snowflake Pendant' product released by Van Cleef & Arpels in 2015. It is reported that Seohee Construction purchased the same model worn by Kim Keon-hee during her trip to NATO with former President Yoon in June 2022 on March 9, 2022.
Earlier, the special investigation unit secured a replica of the Van Cleef necklace believed to have been worn by Kim Keon-hee in 2022 from the house of Kim Jin-woo's mother-in-law last month. It is known that Kim Keon-hee testified to the special investigation unit that she gifted a replica necklace to her mother around 2010. However, the special investigation unit reportedly received responses from Van Cleef indicating that the initial release date of the necklace was in 2015, earlier than the time Kim Keon-hee claimed to have purchased the replica.
The special investigation unit also stated regarding the suspicion that Kim Keon-hee received luxury watches, "We are conducting a search and seizure at the residence of Seo Seong-bin, the CEO of Drone Dome, and at the Drone Dome premises."
Earlier, during the search and seizure of Kim Jin-woo's mother-in-law's residence on the 25th of last month, a warranty for the luxury watch brand 'Vacheron Constantin' was discovered.
Investigation results revealed that the watch was purchased by Seo on September 2022 at the respective brand store and was handed over directly to Kim Keon-hee during a visit to her residence. The special investigation unit is investigating the possibility of solicitation intent, focusing on the timing of the watch delivery coinciding with the period when Seo's company signed a pilot operation contract with the Presidential Security Service for 'robot dogs.'
Meanwhile, the special investigation unit plans to conduct its fifth interrogation of Kim Keon-hee after her arrest at 10 a.m. today. It is expected that this interrogation will be the last summons before her indictment, as the unit intends to indict Kim Keon-hee on the 29th.