Detention Hearings for Kim Daegi, Yoon Jaesoon, and Kim Ojin Over 'Presidential Residence Relocation Allegations'

Second Attempt by the Second Special Prosecutor to Secure Custody

Kim Dae-kee, Former Presidential Chief of Staff Photo by Yonhap News

The decision on whether to detain former senior officials from the presidential office, who are accused of illegally diverting budget funds during the relocation of the presidential residence under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, could be made as early as May 22, 2026.

According to the legal community, on the morning of May 22, at 9:30 a.m., a presiding judge specializing in warrants at the Seoul Central District Court will hold a pretrial detention hearing for Kim Dae-gi, the former Chief Presidential Secretary, to review the necessity of his arrest. Subsequently, at 1:40 p.m., a hearing for Kim Oh-jin, the former Secretary for Administrative Affairs, will be held, followed by a hearing at 4:00 p.m. for Yoon Jae-soon, the former Secretary for General Affairs. This is the second attempt to secure custody since the launch of the second Special Prosecutor's Office, following the previous day's hearing for Lee Eun-woo, the former head of the Korea Policy Broadcasting Institute (KTV).

Kim and the others are accused of having illegally diverted approximately 2.8 billion won in budget funds from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which were unrelated to the presidential residence, in order to pay construction costs to an unqualified contractor, '21gram,' during the 2022 renovation of the presidential residence (abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights). 21gram, an interior design company, is known to have sponsored exhibitions organized by Covana Contents, formerly operated by First Lady Kim Keon-hee, and to have handled the design and construction of its offices.

The special prosecutor's team believes that the presidential office under the Yoon Suk Yeol government pressured the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to illegally divert and execute reserve funds to cover the sharply increased construction costs. The original interior renovation budget for the residence was set at approximately 1.44 billion won, but during the process of 21gram submitting its estimates, this amount nearly tripled to about 4.12 billion won. It was found that the presidential office proceeded with the construction without any separate verification or adjustment process. There have also been testimonies that, at the request of the former president and first lady, Japanese-style tatami rooms and hinoki (Japanese cypress) bathtubs were added during the renovation.

The special prosecutor's team believes the presidential office engaged in so-called 'budget juggling,' fearing criticism from the opposition and the media had they followed the normal procedure of drawing up a supplementary budget. In fact, it has been reported that, through a search and seizure, the special prosecutor's team obtained internal reports from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety indicating difficulties in allocating reserve funds and instructions from the presidential office.

If the second special prosecutor secures custody of Kim and the others, the investigation into whether there were orders or involvement from higher-ups, including the first lady, in the diversion of funds and selection of contractors is expected to gain momentum. Previously, the first special prosecutor's team, led by Min Joong-ki, also investigated these allegations and indicted former secretary Kim Oh-jin and others, but concluded the probe without finding concrete evidence of the first lady's involvement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.