A separate raid was also carried out at the office of Yoon Jung-cheon, the businessman accused of bribing Kim, and a division at the National Police Agency that handled Kim's case back in 2013, the prosecution said.

The special team was formed late last month to delve into the old case after a panel under the Ministry of Justice called for its reinvestigation. 

The panel alleged that the prosecution tried to tone down the investigation and eventually cleared Kim of the charges in two separate probes, in 2013 and 2014, possibly because someone from the presidential office at the time pressured them to close the case quickly.

Kim, 63, resigned as vice minister over the scandal in March 2013, only six days after he took office. He has been banned from leaving the country. (Yonhap)