Investigators Seize Documents at Ministry of Land, Donghae Engineering, and Kyungdong Engineering
Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway Endpoint Change Sparks Controversy Over Possible Preferential Treatment
A special investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki, currently probing allegations related to First Lady Kim Kun-hee, carried out sweeping raids on more than ten locations linked to the so-called “Yangpyeong Expressway Preferential Treatment" scandal.
On July 14, prosecutors deployed investigators to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's ministerial office in Sejong, as well as the offices of Donghae Engineering Consultants and Kyungdong Engineering, the companies involved in the expressway project’s consulting. Authorities reportedly seized relevant documents and digital files from these sites as part of the investigation.
The raids stem from suspicions that the endpoint of the Seoul–Yangpyeong Expressway was changed during former Minister Won Hee-ryong’s tenure, moving the terminus to an area near land owned by Kim Kun-hee’s family—a move that raised questions regarding potential favoritism.
Initially, the project’s endpoint at Yangseo-myeon passed a preliminary feasibility study in 2021. However, in May 2023, the ministry began considering shifting the endpoint to Gangsang-myeon, where Kim's family holds property, sparking public controversy and political debate.
Kim Sun-kyo, a People Power Party lawmaker and former Yangpyeong county chief, has been named as the individual who requested the change. In July 2023, as public scrutiny intensified, former Minister Won Hee-ryong announced the complete cancellation of the expressway project.
Notably, neither former Minister Won nor Representative Kim were included among those targeted in this round of raids.
Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”
Photo=Yonhap News
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