Presidential security official arrested for alleged fraud in presidential office relocation

A high-ranking official at the Presidential Security Service has been arrested on charges of illegally taking personal profits while supervising the relocation of the presidential office, sources said Friday.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office arrested a presidential security official, identified by his surname Jeong, and a construction broker, surnamed Kim, after obtaining arrest warrants the previous day, the legal sources said.

In October last year, the Board of Audit and Inspection requested prosecutors look into suspicions that the company selected to install bulletproof glass for the new presidential office had inflated construction costs.

President Yoon Suk Yeol relocated the presidential office to a former defense headquarters building in Seoul's Yongsan district and opened Cheong Wa Dae to the public as part of his campaign pledge to better connect with the people.

According to the audit agency, 2.04 billion won ($1.5 million) was paid for the installation of bulletproof glass at the new office, but the actual cost was only 470 million won.

Prosecutors believe Jeong awarded the bulletproof glass construction project to Kim by appointing him as the project supervisor. The two developed close ties through previous presidential retirement home construction projects.

In the process, Jeong swindled 280 million won and either received or was promised to receive a total of 86 million won in bribes from Kim.

Kim is accused of pocketing 1.57 billion won by inflating the construction cost quotation to five times the actual amount when selecting the contractor. (Yonhap)