5-year term sought for ex-vice minister over presidential residence relocation

The Korea Times reports that Special Counsel Min Joong-ki's team has requested a five-year prison term for former Vice Land Minister Kim Oh-jin in connection with the relocation of the presidential residence in 2022. The team made this request during Kim's trial at the Seoul Central District Court, where he faces multiple charges including abuse of authority and obstruction of rights.

Additionally, the team sought a five-year sentence for a former presidential secretary named Hwang and a three-year term for Kim Tae-young, CEO of 21 Gram, the interior design company responsible for the renovation work at the presidential residence in Yongsan, Seoul. The charges against Kim and Hwang allege that they facilitated 21 Gram's securing of the contract for the relocation and renovation through improper means, following former President Yoon Suk Yeol's election victory in March 2022.

The team suspects that the two abused their authority to arrange for a construction company to lend its business license to 21 Gram, which lacked a general construction license.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.