Investigation into Kim Hye-kyung's Private Use of Official Vehicle Faces Difficulties

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Sung-pil] Gyeonggi Province conducted an audit regarding the possible private use of the official vehicle by Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, Senior Advisor of the Democratic Party of Korea, but it has been reported that the conclusion was that there was no illegality. Earlier, the police's related investigation, which requested data on the official vehicle dispatch records from Gyeonggi Province, is also expected to face difficulties.

According to a compilation of reports on the 27th, Gyeonggi Province is known to have examined whether the official vehicle was used privately during the period when Advisor Lee served as governor, in an audit conducted for about a month starting from February, when allegations of private use of Kim’s corporate card were raised. During the audit, Gyeonggi Province reviewed all dispatch records and vehicle logs of the official vehicles used by the advisor and his spouse but reportedly found no evidence of illegality. The province is said to have comprehensively reviewed the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s regulations and manuals on official vehicle management, as well as related provincial ordinances, to determine the presence of any illegality. In this process, special attention was given to the fact that the parking lot of the apartment in Sunae-dong, Seongnam, where the advisor and his spouse reside, was designated as the garage and that the vehicle was used on weekends. However, it was concluded that there were no violations of relevant regulations in the vehicle logs and other explanatory materials obtained.

The suspicion of private use of the official vehicle by the advisor and his spouse is also under police investigation. On the 23rd, the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency requested the Asset Management Division of Gyeonggi Provincial Government to submit dispatch records of official vehicles fixedly assigned to the advisor and his spouse from July 1, 2018, to May 2022. This procedure is understood to be aimed at examining whether Kim used the official vehicles, which are intended for employees’ business trips and work purposes, for private use. The investigation is related to the charge of public fund loss applied to the case of allegations of private use of Kim’s corporate card. The amount of public fund loss under police review includes embezzlement of the corporate card and rental costs of official vehicles.

However, since Gyeonggi Province previously conducted an audit using the same data and found no illegality, the police investigation is also expected to face difficulties. Inside and outside the police, there is a prevailing view that it will be practically impossible to verify whether the passengers and accompanying persons recorded in the vehicle logs actually match.

Meanwhile, the police conducted a search and seizure at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government on the 4th of last month in connection with the ‘corporate card misuse suspicion’ involving former Governor Lee’s spouse Kim Hye-kyung. Last week, they reportedly visited the protocol team of Gyeonggi Provincial Government to request ‘cooperation in the investigation.’ As the investigation into the corporate card and official vehicle preferential treatment allegations proceeds quietly, there is speculation that Kim’s summons may be imminent.