Former Minister Won Hee-ryong Placed Under Travel Ban Amid Ongoing Investigations

On July 4, it was confirmed that former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Won Hee-ryong, has been placed under a travel ban. This decision comes as part of the investigation led by Special Prosecutor Min Joon-ki into various allegations surrounding Kim Geon-hee, the spouse of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. Alongside Won, members of Kim's family have also been restricted from leaving the country. They are implicated in 16 allegations being examined by the special prosecutor's team, including suspicions of stock manipulation involving Samboo Construction and favoritism in the alteration of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway route.

According to legal sources, the Ministry of Justice recently issued travel bans for Won, Kim Geon-hee's mother Choi Eun-soon, and her brother Kim Mo. The special prosecutor's team reportedly requested these travel restrictions in connection with the Yangpyeong Expressway allegations.

The Yangpyeong Expressway controversy suggests that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport may have altered highway construction plans to benefit Kim Geon-hee's family, who own land in the area. In 2023, the Democratic Party filed a complaint against Won for abuse of power while he was still in office. The special prosecutor's team is expected to investigate whether Won was involved in the changes to the highway route.

Another allegation involving Won pertains to the stock manipulation case of Samboo Construction. This claim suggests that in May and June of 2023, Samboo Construction misled investors into believing it would actively pursue reconstruction projects in Ukraine, artificially inflating its stock prices. This suspicion arose after Lee Jong-ho, former head of Black Pearl Investment, messaged acquaintances in a chat room to 'check Samboo tomorrow,' followed by the revelation that the former presidential couple met with Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska shortly thereafter.

During this period, Won attended the Ukraine Global Reconstruction Forum in Poland alongside representatives from Samboo Construction, raising further questions about his potential involvement in the stock manipulation scheme.