Special Prosecution Indicts Byeongho Yoo for "Lenient Presidential Residence Audit" ... "Improper Orders Given on Presidential Office's Request"

While Serving as Secretary General of the Board of Audit and Inspection Under President Yoon

Accused of Ordering “No Face-to-Face Questioning or Official Requests for Documents”

Byeongho Yoo, Audit and Inspection Commissioner at the Board of Audit and Inspection, who was suspected of conducting a "lenient audit regarding the relocation of the presidential residence," has been indicted and will stand trial in detention. The second integrated special prosecution team led by Changyoung Kwon determined that Yoo, while serving as secretary general of the Board of Audit and Inspection, communicated with the presidential office, accepted requests, and issued improper orders to auditors.

Byungho Yoo, Audit Committee Member (Vice Minister level) of the Board of Audit and Inspection, is attending the pretrial detention hearing (warrant review) held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on July 20, 2026. [Joint Coverage] Yonhap News Agency

On August 7, the special prosecution team announced that Yoo had been indicted and detained on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights.

Yoo is accused of intervening improperly in the audit of the presidential residence relocation in response to requests from the Presidential Secretariat, with which he communicated while serving as secretary general of the Board of Audit and Inspection during the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

According to the special prosecutors, between February and March 2023, Yoo allegedly instructed auditors conducting the relocation audit with a series of directives: ▲ Banning requests for submission of documents to the Presidential Secretariat by official correspondence ▲ Prohibiting interviews or questioning of Presidential Secretariat personnel ▲ Forbidding face-to-face investigations with representatives of construction firms.

The special prosecution concluded that these orders violated not only established regulations but also Yoo's own previously stated positions on audit procedure, making them both illegal and unreasonable. By abusing his authority as secretary general, Yoo interfered with the independent audit powers of field auditors and caused them to carry out duties they were not obligated to perform.

At the time, the field auditors had determined that face-to-face questioning of those involved regarding suspicions surrounding the relocation was unavoidable, and had issued summonses; however, following Yoo’s directives, these requests were reportedly withdrawn.

The audit into the relocation of the presidential residence began after suspicions arose over the selection of construction contractors and project costs during the process of moving the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and the residence to the former official residence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs following then-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s inauguration.

In October 2022, the civil society group People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy filed a request for an official audit. After approximately two years, the Board of Audit and Inspection released a report in September 2024. However, as the circumstances surrounding the selection of contractors were not fully disclosed, controversy emerged over what became known as a "lenient audit."

On July 20, following the court's determination that “there is concern over destruction of evidence,” Yoo was detained. He sought a review of the legality of his detention on August 4, but the court rejected his request.

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