Prosecutors Seek Four-Year Sentence for Kim Dae-ki in Presidential Residence Scandal

Former Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki, implicated in the scandal surrounding the relocation of the presidential residence during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

On October 16, the Special Prosecutor's Office, led by Kwon Chang-young, requested the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 36, presided over by Judge Lee Jeong-yeop, to impose a four-year sentence on Kim for abuse of power.

The prosecutors also sought sentences of three years and six months for former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and former Presidential Office Administrative Secretary Kim O-jin, while requesting two years and six months for former Presidential Office General Affairs Secretary Yoon Jae-soon.

The prosecution stated, "This case undermines the democratic control of national finances and infringes upon the independent authority of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, resulting in significant human and material damage." They further noted, "Despite being the highest decision-maker at the time of the offenses, Kim attempted to destroy evidence during the trial by mobilizing retired officials."

Earlier, on June 19, the Special Prosecutor's Office indicted Kim Dae-ki and Yoon Jae-soon while indicting Lee Sang-min and Kim O-jin without detention. This case marks the first indictment since the establishment of the Special Prosecutor's Office.

The defendants are accused of facilitating the misappropriation and execution of a budget totaling 2.09 billion won (approximately $1.5 million) from May to July 2022 to align construction costs with an estimate of about 4.1 billion won provided by 21 Gram Co., which lacked qualifications for construction on the presidential residence, a facility with top-level security.

Kim Dae-ki also faces charges of creating and executing false documents under the name of the Presidential Office to falsely request cooperation for a remodeling project of a separate office building to secure additional funding.