The prosecution summoned Kim Myeong-ok, the sister of Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, on the 10th. According to the legal community on the same day, the dedicated investigation team of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office is currently questioning Kim in the capacity of a witness.
In April 2019, Kim purchased a detached house in Yeonhui-dong owned by Yoon Ki-jung, an emeritus professor at Yonsei University and the father of Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, for 1.9 billion KRW. At that time, Yoon was the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
Some have raised suspicions that Kim Man-bae may have bribed Yoon's side through his sister. There were also claims that a 'down contract' was drafted, as the market price at the time was said to have exceeded 3 billion KRW.
Yoon's side rebutted this by stating that the transaction was conducted without knowing the buyer's identity, introduced by a real estate agent. They also denied the allegations of a down contract as groundless.
The prosecution plans to investigate Kim regarding the circumstances of purchasing the house owned by Yoon's father and the background of participation in the Daejang-dong project.
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