The independent counsel team of Kim Gun-hee (Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki) is found to have launched an investigation after detecting circumstantial evidence that a mid-sized construction company in Korea purchased the anti-cliff necklace that Kim Gun-hee wore during her 2022 NATO trip. When it was revealed that the investigation was launched, the independent counsel team suspects that the construction company is attempting to destroy evidence by closing the headquarters building over the weekend.
According to the legal community on the 10th, the special prosecution team recently raided the Vancliffe Appel store in Korea and secured a list of buyers for the "Snow Flake Pendant" necklace, a model Kim wore during her visit to the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, in June 2022. At that time, only a small amount of the model was sold in Korea, and the special prosecution team suspects that a close aide of Chairman Seohee Construction purchased the product and presented it to Kim immediately after the 20th presidential election to select Kim or those related to the Yoon Suk Yeol government. The special prosecution team is also looking into whether Seohee Construction's eldest son was appointed to a high-ranking position at the time of the inauguration of the Yoon administration and whether the necklace was related. During the process of investigating figures in the presidential office, he also secured a statement that "there was a concern that wearing this necklace would be a problem later" during the trip.
Seohee Construction Co., located at Seohee Tower in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, closed the building for a weekend as soon as midnight passed on the 9th. The building management office of Seohee Tower in Yangjae-dong sent a group text message to about 10 tenants, saying, "The entire Seohee Tower is closed this Saturday (9th) and Sunday (10th) due to emergency situations. Opening is possible from 6:30 a.m. on Monday (11th)." The text message was sent at 0:28 a.m. on the 9th.
An official from a tenant company said, "We didn't usually control access on weekends," and added, "It's a wonder that we controlled access right after the alleged payment of the necklace was made." Another tenant official said, "There are no defects in the building to the extent that there is an urgent situation," and added, "Since they don't explain the reason properly, I suspect they are trying to destroy evidence."
Seo-hee Construction said, "The allegations raised are not true at all. We cannot explain them in detail because they are under investigation." On the reason why the building was closed during the weekend, Seo-hee said, "We cannot tell you."
Earlier, on the 25th of last month, the special prosecution team found an anti-cliff and apple necklace during a search and seizure of the mother-in-law's house of Kim Jin-woo (55), but the verification result found it to be a fake. Suspicions of the change then spread as Kim stated in an investigation on the 6th, "I purchased a fake product for my mother's gift in Hong Kong around 2010." This is because the statement that the Snowflake Pendant, the model Kim wore during her NATO trip, was released in 2015 and purchased luxury goods five years ago is likely a false statement.
Reporter Lee Chan-gyu and Jeon Min-gu lee.chankyu@joongang.co.kr
We announce that the building is closed on the weekend, and I can't tell you why,
Nothing to do with the investigation?
I think the behavior you really do is still the 5th public announcement.
There was a situation in which the president thought he was a king and tried to bribe him for all kinds of interests,
If you say it wasn't a big deal, I think it's because of that.
This is the 21st century, this is the age of democracy.
If you don't clean up their behavior,
Democratic development is difficult.
You must take responsibility for what you have done.
By the way, Korean construction companies may really be the axis of evil.