The Special Prosecutor's Office, led by Kwon Chang-young, will summon Won Hee-ryong, the former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, for questioning on July 23 regarding allegations related to the Yangpyeong Expressway route change.
The Special Prosecutor's Office announced on the afternoon of July 18 that "Former Minister Won is scheduled to appear for questioning at 10 a.m. on July 23."
Previously, the Special Prosecutor's Office had requested Won to appear for questioning twice regarding allegations of abuse of power, but the requests were not delivered due to his absence.
The allegations concerning the Yangpyeong Expressway involve a change in the endpoint of the route from Yangseo-myeon in Yangpyeong County to Gangsam-myeon, where land owned by First Lady Kim Kun-hee's family is located, following the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
The Yangseo-myeon endpoint had passed a preliminary feasibility study in 2021, but the Ministry of Land began reviewing the endpoint in Gangsam-myeon in May 2023, leading to concerns of favoritism.
In response to the emerging allegations, Won decided to cancel the project. The Special Prosecutor's Office is reportedly investigating whether he followed proper procedures during this process.
Previously, the Kim Kun-hee Special Prosecutor's Office, led by Min Jung-ki, indicted a Ministry of Land official, identified as Kim, on charges of abuse of power related to the favoritism allegations. However, they were unable to establish charges against the "higher-ups," including Won.
The Special Prosecutor's Office, which took over the case, imposed a travel ban on Won in March and initiated a forced investigation into the National Intelligence Resource Management Agency, the Ministry of Land, and former Vice Minister Baek Won-guk in April.
On July 15, they seized Won's mobile phone.
On the same day, Won stated on Facebook, "I will not yield to unreasonable investigations and unjust applications of the law," urging the Special Prosecutor's Office not to fabricate charges that do not exist.