South Korea’s Board of Audit and Inspection found that former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s presidential office pressured the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to accelerate the Blue Whale deep-sea gas project in the East Sea. After the ministry initially planned one well by the end of 2024 and four more by 2029, the office demanded that the additional drilling be completed during Yoon’s term, which ran through May 2027. Then-Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun ultimately reported a revised plan for four additional wells by 2026, despite considering the schedule unrealistic. The audit said officials had warned that exploration success was below 20% and advised describing the findings as a prospect area rather than confirmed resource volumes. Yoon nevertheless announced the possibility of up to 14 billion barrels of oil and gas. The board said that figure assumed all seven prospects reached their maximum prospective resource estimate, a scenario with a 0.0002% probability. Blue Whale had a 19.1% geological probability of success, while drilling found gas saturation of just 6.3%, versus an initial expectation of 50% to 70%, and confirmed biodegraded biogenic gas. The audit identified seven illegal or improper actions, including procurement and technical-evaluation failures and drilling without sufficient verification, and requested or notified relevant agencies about disciplinary measures. It did not require separate action over Yoon’s announcement or the presidential office’s handling of project reports, citing the absence of applicable regulations.