Ministry of Justice Secures Testimony from Kim Bong-hyun... "Lawyer A Proposed the Drinking Gathering First"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Ministry of Justice, which is investigating allegations of prosecutor entertainment related to the Lime scandal, is reported to have confirmed detailed statements about the entertainment from Kim Bonghyun, former chairman of Star Mobility.

According to the legal community on the 26th, the Ministry of Justice secured a statement from former chairman Kim that Prosecutor A's former attorney first suggested the drinking gathering during the investigation that began on the 16th.

Previously, former chairman Kim publicly revealed in a statement from prison that in July last year, at a room salon in Gangnam, Seoul, he entertained three active prosecutors with drinks worth about 10 million won together with Attorney A. Kim stated, "At that time, Attorney A and I were on a first-name basis and had a very trusting relationship," and "he introduced me to the prosecutors."

Based on Kim's testimony, the Ministry of Justice requested an investigation from the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office. The prosecution also conducted a two-hour witness investigation at the detention center where Kim is incarcerated the day before.

Meanwhile, it is known that Kim identified another attorney who allegedly provided advance information about the search and seizure during the prosecution's preliminary investigation. In his previously released statement from prison, he claimed that after former Vice President Lee Jongpil hired this attorney, the investigation into the Lime-related insider trading case did not proceed, and information about the search and seizure was known in advance.