Former Blue House Administrative Officer Suspected in 'Rhyme Incident' Appears for Detention Hearing

Silent in Response to Reporters' Questions

Kim Mo, a former Blue House administrator accused of bribery related to the Lime scandal, is entering the Seoul Southern District Court on the 18th to undergo a warrant hearing.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Kim Mo (46), a former Blue House administrative officer suspected of being involved in the Lime Asset Management redemption suspension scandal that caused damage worth about 1.6 trillion won, appeared at court on the 18th for a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review).

Kim arrived at the Seoul Southern District Court around 1:30 PM that day. The prosecution filed an arrest warrant for Kim the previous day on charges including bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and leaking official secrets.

Kim did not respond to reporters' questions about whether he admitted to the bribery charges or whether he leaked internal information from the Financial Supervisory Service to Kim Bong-hyun, former chairman of Star Mobility, known as the 'broker' of Lime, and headed straight to the courtroom. The warrant review began at 2 PM, and the decision on detention was expected later that afternoon.

Kim, who is a former Financial Supervisory Service official, is suspected of being involved in covering up the Lime scandal while dispatched as a Blue House administrative officer for one year starting February last year. In particular, he is accused of receiving bribes worth about 49 million won from Kim Bong-hyun in exchange for providing official information and favors, as well as leaking internal information from the Financial Supervisory Service. He was dismissed from his post at the end of last month after returning to the Financial Supervisory Service.