Lee Bong-kwan, the chairman of Seohee Construction, and his son-in-law, Park Sung-geun, a former chief of staff to the prime minister, were summoned on Tuesday by the special counsel team investigating bribery allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon-hee.
 
Chairman Lee, who appeared in front of the special counsel’s office in a wheelchair in the morning, went in without answering reporters’ questions about whether he gave a luxury necklace to Kim and if former President Yoon Suk Yeol knew anything about it.
 
Lee is suspected of handing over a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond necklace valued at 60 million won, or roughly 43-thousand U.S. dollars, to Kim in March 2022, shortly after the presidential election.
 
Earlier last month, he submitted a letter to the special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki stating that he delivered a total of three luxury jewelry pieces worth 100 million won directly to Kim in return for his son-in-law’s appointment as chief of staff to the prime minister.
 
Park, the son-in-law, also appeared at the special counsel’s office at 2 p.m. and ignored reporters’ questions before going in.

The special counsel was expected to question them about the gifts and about their relationship with former President Yoon and his wife.