[Hotterview] Yoon Geon-young "21gram CEO, Hearing Consideration if Absent"

"Requesting Witness Appearance for Comprehensive Audit"
"Ministry of the Interior Refuses to Submit Drawings and Contracts"

"We will demand attendance once more during the National Assembly comprehensive audit. Furthermore, if they refuse to attend, we are considering filing charges and holding a National Assembly hearing."

Yoon Geon-young, the Democratic Party of Korea's ranking member of the Administrative Safety Committee, said this on the 8th in a phone interview with Asia Economy regarding the non-attendance of Kim Tae-young and Lee Seung-man, representatives of the interior design company '21gram' responsible for remodeling the presidential residence, at the National Assembly audit as witnesses.

21gram is a sponsor company of Kobana Contents, an exhibition planning company operated by First Lady Kim Kun-hee. The presidential residence construction became controversial as it was carried out through a private contract. Earlier last month, the National Assembly Administrative Safety Committee selected the two representatives as witnesses for the audit to verify whether 21gram received preferential treatment. However, they neither submitted a reason for their absence nor maintained contact before the audit held the previous day.

In response, opposition party members of the Administrative Safety Committee, including Representative Yoon, accompanied the enforcement of a summons at 21gram's office located in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, the previous day. However, the office was unattended for a long time, and the door was closed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Representative Yoon warned, "We can file charges, and if they still do not attend, we can request a National Assembly hearing."

He pointed out, "At the time of the residence construction, the completion inspection was not properly conducted, but they are not providing the completion drawings, nor have they properly signed the contract or submitted it. In short, the government is not disclosing any materials related to the residence construction."

Representative Yoon stated that he will investigate various suspicions surrounding the Yoon Suk-yeol administration along with the illegal extension allegations of the residence during this audit. He said, "On the upcoming 10th, at the National Election Commission audit, we will focus intensively on Mr. Myung Tae-gyun, who was selected as a witness, and the allegations of First Lady Kim Kun-hee's involvement in candidate nomination interference."

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