Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) Commissioner You Byung-ho, who faces allegations of downplaying and concealing the audit of the presidential residence relocation process under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, will remain in custody and continue to face investigation by the special counsel after his request for a detention review was dismissed.

Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Appeals Division 5-2 conducted a pre-detention review hearing on the afternoon of the 6th and ultimately dismissed Commissioner You's request, stating that 'there is no ground for the claim.' Commissioner You had filed for the detention review on the 4th, but the court recognized the necessity of his continued detention, citing concerns over the destruction of evidence. A detention review is a process in which a detained suspect asks the court to reassess the legality and necessity of their detention, and the court is required to conduct a suspect interrogation and evidence investigation within 48 hours of receiving the request.

Commissioner You faces charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights for allegedly improperly intervening during his tenure as BAI Secretary-General to downplay and conceal the results of audits concerning the Presidential Office and the residence relocation. According to the special counsel, Commissioner You ordered the withdrawal of in-person investigations by the audit team into officials of companies, including '21gram,' related to the residence relocation project. He also allegedly instructed the team to change in-person investigations to written inquiries and to request Presidential Office data through oral rather than official written channels. It was further revealed that he directed the team to exercise restraint regarding in-person investigations of Presidential Office officials.

Meanwhile, '21gram' is a company that sponsored exhibitions hosted by Cobana Contents, which was run by First Lady Kim Keon-hee, and it also handled the design and construction of the Cobana Contents office. The company's CEO and their spouse are known to be close acquaintances of Mrs. Kim. The special counsel believes that Commissioner You conducted a so-called 'lenient audit' in connection with suspicions of preferential treatment, given that 21gram was awarded the residence relocation project despite being an unqualified contractor.

During the investigation, the special counsel reportedly obtained a mobile phone memo in which Commissioner You referred to former President Yoon Suk-yeol as the 'boss' and described the residence relocation as 'the greatest decision since the Gyeongbu Expressway.'

Meanwhile, Commissioner You was detained after the court issued a warrant on the 20th of last month, following a request for an arrest warrant by the second comprehensive special counsel team on the 14th of the same month. His detention period has been extended until the 8th of this month at the special counsel's request, and the special counsel plans to indict Commissioner You in the near future.