South Korea: Lawmaker denies giving favours to ex-first lady’s family in land development project
On Wednesday, a Seoul‑based opposition representative denied claims that he had favored the relatives of former first lady Kim Keon‑hee over a land development scheme from ten years ago. Rep. Kim Sun‑gyo, a key figure in the ruling People Power Party, testified at the special counsel Min Joong‑ki’s office, insisting the accusations were unfounded.
The controversy surrounds a 350‑unit apartment complex in Yangpyeong, a county east of Seoul, where the lawmaker allegedly skipped mandatory development fees between 2011 and 2016 while he served as head of the county. The project was managed by ESI&D, a firm founded by the former first lady’s older brother and mother.
When pressed by reporters, the representative explained that fee procedures cannot be altered by a governor’s decree. “The development fees are not something that can be done by a governor’s orders because there are procedures to be followed,” the lawmaker told reporters. “Public officials are under an enormous amount of stress and suffering from chronic diseases. I came here to tell them to stop their coercive investigation and to reveal the truth.”
Tragically, an official in Yangpyeong County, who had overseen development fees during the apartment project, died in his home last month after being questioned by special prosecutors. His final note, written before his death, alleged that the investigation team had pressured him to state that he had adhered to the representative’s directives.
Both the former first lady’s brother and mother remain under scrutiny by the special counsel. The investigation has been amplified after special prosecutors, probing former President Yoon Suk‑yeol’s alleged martial law attempt, seized additional evidence last week linked to the former president’s wife.
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