[News Today] Special counsel raids Sambu Construction

[LEAD]
The special counsel looking into former First Lady Kim Keon-hee is picking up speed. Out of sixteen allegations under review, Sambu Construction became the first official target. Investigators are zeroing in on stock manipulation allegations tied to the firm, with key figures from the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case suspected of being involved.

[REPORT]
The special counsel team investigating the allegations against former first lady Kim Keon-hee raided thirteen locations simultaneously, including the headquarters of Sambu Construction just one day after the team was officially launched.

It was the independent prosecutor's first raid.

The search targeted the homes of seven current and former executives, including former Sambu Construction Chairman Cho Sung-ok.

Moon Hong-joo / Special counsel on Kim Keon-hee case
They're being investigated for violating the Capitals Market Act such as fraudulent trade. They were the first one to be raided among the targets set by the Special Prosecutor Act.

The independent counsel chose Sambu Construction for their first investigation to check out if Kim Keon-hee was involved in the manipulation of the construction company's stock price in 2023.

About ten former and current executives of Sambu Construction deceived investors by pretending to begin the Ukraine reconstruction project and raising stock prices before selling their shares to gain illicit profits worth tens of billions of won.

But right before the stock price spiked, former Black Pearl Investment CEO Lee Jong-ho, known to have been Kim Keon-hee's financial manager, posted a suspicious message saying that he will check out Sambu tomorrow on the group chat room for Marine Corps reservists.

Then two days later, former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife met with the first lady of Ukraine visiting Korea, and then the Ukraine reconstruction project was launched.

This is why Kim Keon-hee is suspected of being involved in this affair.

When the Financial Supervisory Service reported the ex-chair of Sambu Construction and the company management to the prosecution in April, Kim Keon-hee and Lee Jong-ho were omitted from the list.

The special counsel team will analyze the confiscated company computers and suspects' mobile phones to identify the ties among Sambu Construction, former CEO Lee and the former first lady.

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