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Reporters wait outside the building housing Sambu Construction in Seoul’s Jongno District on July 3, as special counsel Min Jung-ki’s team conducts a raid over allegations involving former First Lady Kim Keon-hee. / Source: Yonhap News

South Korea’s three independent special counsel teams—investigating former First Lady Kim Keon-hee, the death of a Marine, and alleged insurrection—have escalated their probes by issuing sweeping travel bans and initiating search and seizure operations. With discussions of potential cooperation between the teams, their investigations are expected to gain further momentum.

On July 3, the team led by Special Counsel Min Jung-ki, investigating allegations surrounding Kim Keon-hee, raided 13 locations including the headquarters of construction firm Sambu Construction in Seoul’s Jongno District. This marked the first compulsory investigation action among the three special counsels. The previous day, Min’s team had requested travel bans on more than 20 individuals linked to the case, signaling a full-scale probe.

Separately, Special Counsel Lee Myung-hyun, investigating the death of a Marine during a flood rescue mission, confirmed that travel bans had been placed on former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, former Marine Corps Commandant Kim Gye-hwan, and former 1st Marine Division Commander Im Seong-geun. Lee also revealed that Lee Jong-ho, a close associate of Kim Keon-hee and former head of Black Pearl Investment, was among those barred from leaving the country due to allegations of lobbying to shield Im.

Lee’s team stated that no investigation would take place behind closed doors and that search warrants were being considered.

Asked whether evidence from the Sambu Construction raid would be shared with the Kim Keon-hee probe, Lee’s team responded, “The two special counsel teams agreed a few days ago to coordinate. Once we finish analyzing the confiscated materials, we may share relevant information as needed.” Min’s team also confirmed they were open to cooperation as long as it didn’t compromise security.

Sambu Construction is accused of falsely claiming involvement in Ukraine reconstruction projects in May–June 2023 to inflate stock prices before selling shares for hundreds of billions of won in profits. These allegations surfaced during an investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) into external pressure on the Marine Corps probe—indicating that the special counsels’ investigations may overlap, potentially accelerating progress through shared evidence.

Meanwhile, Special Counsel Cho Eon-seok’s team, which is probing the insurrection case, stated that no cabinet members had refused to comply with summonses so far, expressing confidence in the ongoing investigation.