Police Do Not Indict President Yoon and Spouse on Jeonse Right Allegations

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Kyumin] The police have decided not to indict President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife, who were accused of violating the Public Official Election Act during the process of explaining allegations that a "bribery-type jeonse right" was established on an apartment owned by First Lady Kim Geon-hee.

The Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 2nd that they decided not to indict President Yoon and First Lady Kim due to insufficient evidence regarding the accusation of violating the Public Official Election Act (false information disclosure) filed on the 27th of last month.

The civic group Judicial Justice Citizens' Action (Sasehaeng) filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in February, claiming that the explanation from Yoon Suk-yeol's People Power Party campaign at the time was false and accusing President Yoon and First Lady Kim.

In July of last year, Open Sympathy TV raised suspicions that a bribery-type jeonse right was established on an apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul, owned by First Lady Kim. Samsung had signed a jeonse right contract for 700 million KRW on the apartment in 2010 and leased it for about four years, raising suspicions that this was given as a bribe.

The accusers also argued that setting a 700 million KRW jeonse deposit on an apartment with a sale price of 1 billion KRW, while a prior mortgage of 600 million KRW was already established in October 2010, was abnormal.

At the time, President Yoon's side rebutted by stating that an engineer of overseas Korean descent, who was a Samsung employee, actually resided in the apartment. However, Representative Kim Nam-guk of the Democratic Party of Korea revealed in February through the Ministry of Justice's foreigner registration and residence status that there was no record of foreigner registration or overseas Korean domestic residence report.

In March, the police who took over the case investigated Samsung and immigration office staff. The immigration office staff reportedly testified that there are cases where the actual domestic residence and the reported residence do not match. The police concluded that whether the residence change was reported or not does not affect the determination of guilt.

Additionally, the police comprehensively reviewed documents related to the jeonse right contract and materials concerning overseas Koreans eligible for Samsung company housing support. Subsequently, the police judged the campaign's announcement as factual, considering ▲the overseas Korean was employed by Samsung during the jeonse right period and ▲the apartment was used as a domestic address.

Meanwhile, the police are continuing their investigation by reviewing First Lady Kim's written responses regarding false career allegations and other suspicions beyond the aforementioned allegations earlier last month.