Local builder searched over Van Cleef necklace allegedly given to Yoon's wife
A special counsel investigating allegations against former first lady Kim Keon Hee on Monday raided the headquarters of Seohee Construction as part of a probe into a possible quid pro quo involving a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond necklace valued at 60 million won ($46,000).
On Monday morning, the special counsel team -- led by Min Joong-ki -- searched the offices of Seohee Construction to look for evidence related to the claims involving Kim's luxury necklace and the company's potential violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.
The suspicions relate to a time when the former first lady omitted the diamond necklace -- which she wore during a trip for a NATO summit in 2022 -- from the required disclosure of her assets. Public officials and their spouses are required to declare any jewelry worth more than 5 million won ($3,603) under the Public Service Ethics Act.
The presidential office explained that the necklace had been 'borrowed from an acquaintance,' but Kim submitted a written statement to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in May, claiming that the necklace was a counterfeit and therefore not subject to the disclosure requirement for public officials.
On Aug. 6, the former first lady reportedly testified during questioning by the special counsel that she had purchased the counterfeit 15 years ago at a market in Hong Kong and presented it to her mother as a gift without acknowledging that the necklace resembled a Van Cleef & Arpels design.
Kim added that she borrowed it back from her mother for the overseas trip in 2022.
The luxury necklace was found by investigators after raiding the house of Kim's brother's mother-in-law in late July. A forensic analysis confirmed that the necklace was an imitation.
But since the necklace design worn by the former first lady was first released in November 2015, the special counsel suspected that Kim's testimony could be false and reportedly planned to emphasize concerns about evidence-tampering during Tuesday's hearing on whether to issue a detention warrant for Kim.
Seohee Construction is suspected of attempting to influence Kim by giving her the luxury necklace in return for a relative of the company's chairman being appointed to a government position.
The special counsel, which previously conducted a search and seizure operation at a local Van Cleef & Arpels store in July, obtained records showing that a close associate of Seohee Construction's chairman purchased a necklace of the same design shortly after the presidential election in March 2022.
The team also discovered that the chairman's son-in-law was appointed as chief of staff to the prime minister in June 2022, just before then-President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim's overseas trip for the NATO summit.
sj_lee@heraldcorp.com
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