A special counsel team led by Ann Gweon-seob raided the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul on January 2, 2026, as part of an investigation into the prosecution's loss of key evidence linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee. The raid targeted the office's information and communications department to probe potential cover-up instructions from higher-ups. Authorities sought to secure messenger records related to the missing Bank of Korea straps.
On Friday, January 2, 2026, prosecutors and investigators from special counsel Ann Gweon-seob's team arrived at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul to execute a search and seizure warrant. The action forms part of an inquiry into the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office's loss of Bank of Korea straps that bundled new banknotes worth 50 million won ($34,700), seized from the home of a shaman close to former first lady Kim Keon Hee during a December 2024 raid. These straps hold identifying details, such as inspection dates.
The prosecution later discovered the straps were missing, with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office stating in October last year that the loss was accidental. Special prosecutors carried out the warrant to determine if higher-ups issued instructions to conceal the evidence and its disappearance. The focus was on the office's information and communications department, where they aimed to obtain messenger records pertaining to the straps' loss.
This incident raises concerns over the mishandling of evidence in the probe involving Kim Keon Hee. The special counsel team continues to examine possibilities of a cover-up.
