Kim Keon Hee won't appear before special prosecutor Sunday over health concerns

Kim Keon Hee, who faces allegations of involvement in awarding a contract to unqualified firm 21 Grams during the relocation of the presidential residence under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, was scheduled to be questioned as a suspect by the secondary comprehensive special prosecutor team (led by special prosecutor Kwon Chang-young) on Sunday, but the session has been postponed.

The secondary comprehensive special prosecutor team, which is investigating allegations left unresolved after the three major special prosecutor probes into insurrection, Kim Keon Hee and the Marine Corps corporal case, announced Thursday that "the July 19 summons questioning of Kim Keon Hee has been postponed due to her health." The team added that "the date of her appearance is being negotiated."

According to the special prosecutor team, Kim is suspected of directing contracts with 21 Grams — a firm deemed unqualified — during the relocation of the presidential office and residence under the Yoon administration. 21 Grams is known to have carried out construction work at the offices of Covana Contents, of which Kim was chief executive, and to have sponsored exhibitions organized by the firm.

On July 7, the team summoned Yoo Gyeong-ok, a former presidential office administrator who previously worked at Covana Contents, for questioning as a suspect in connection with allegations of preferential treatment in the residence construction. Last month, the team sought an arrest warrant for the head of 21 Grams, surnamed Kim, on charges of abuse of authority, but the court rejected the request.

On June 9, the team indicted former Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and former presidential office management secretary Kim O-jin without detention on allegations of illegally disbursing funds during the presidential residence relocation, and indicted former presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-gi and former general affairs secretary Yoon Jae-soon in detention. All four face charges of abuse of authority.

The team has also sought an arrest warrant for Yoo Byeong-ho, an audit commissioner at the Board of Audit and Inspection, on charges of abuse of authority, alleging that he improperly intervened to downplay or conceal the results of an audit into the presidential residence relocation during his tenure as secretary general. A warrant review hearing for Yoo is scheduled at Seoul Central District Court on Monday.