Special prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for audit commissioner over alleged interference in presidential residence audit

The second comprehensive special prosecutor's team led by Kwon Chang-young, which is investigating allegations left unresolved after the three major special counsel probes into insurrection, Kim Keon Hee and the death of a Marine, sought an arrest warrant Tuesday for Board of Audit and Inspection commissioner Yoo Byung-ho.

The special prosecutor's team announced through a press notice that it had applied for an arrest warrant against Yoo on abuse-of-authority charges. A pre-arrest suspect hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 20 before Senior Judge Lee Jong-rok, who handles warrant reviews.

Yoo served as secretary general of the Board of Audit and Inspection under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and is accused of improperly intervening to suppress or conceal the findings of an audit into the relocation of the presidential residence. After his election, former President Yoon moved the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense compound in Yongsan and relocated the official residence to the former foreign affairs minister's official quarters.

A public audit request was filed in October 2022 over various allegations surrounding the contractor selection process and construction costs for the relocation. The Board of Audit and Inspection released an audit report in September 2024 on alleged irregularities related to the relocation of the presidential office and residence and the use of associated funds. The report drew criticism for a shoddy audit, however, after it failed to provide specific details on how contractors were selected.

The special prosecutor's team concluded that Yoo had obstructed the audit team's normal operations by issuing guidelines on how to conduct audit-related inquiries and how to request documents. He is also suspected of involvement in suppressing or concealing the audit report's findings.

Yoo has denied all the charges against him. Arriving at the special prosecutor's office Monday for questioning as a suspect, he said the team "is singling out and inflating only an extremely small portion of the entire construction project to make it an issue." He maintained that most of the allegations the special prosecutor has raised involve matters that occurred under his successor as secretary general, and that all audit work was carried out through proper procedures.