Former President Kim Dae-gi's Chief of Staff, among others, denied allegations that they illegally misused 2.9 billion won from the Ministry of Public Administration and Security budget during the process of relocating the presidential residence to an unqualified company. Former Chief Kim argued that the budget misuse was legal and that he lacked authority, so the charge of abuse of power did not hold. Former Minister Lee Sang-min also claimed innocence, stating that he had no approval for the budget execution and misuse. Former secretaries Yoon Jae-soon and Kim Oh-jin also argued that the charge of abuse of power could not be established and requested acquittal. The court set the next hearing date for August 12th and decided to proceed with witness examination.
