On the 6th, during the National Assembly's government questioning session
Dispute over 'Kim Geon-hee investigation'
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] On the 6th, Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, engaged in a heated exchange during a government questioning session at the National Assembly over allegations of stock manipulation involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee and Deutsche Motors.
During his questioning, Rep. Jeong asked Minister Han, "Did President Yoon Seok-yeol win the election and then cover up his wife's Deutsche Motors stock manipulation? Is he also covering up plagiarism in her thesis?" Minister Han rebutted, saying, "This investigation was conducted while the previous administration was in power." When Rep. Jeong asked, "Why are you not investigating Kim Keon-hee's stock manipulation?" Minister Han responded, "The investigation team chosen by the Democratic Party exercised their authority to lead the investigation intensively for two years. Why didn't they indict at that time?"
In response to Rep. Jeong's question suggesting that the investigation was not properly conducted during Yoon's tenure as Prosecutor General, Minister Han said, "At that time, this case did not exist. When I was part of the investigation team, we were conducting what is called the 'deep-rooted evils' investigation, which the Democratic Party actively supported."
Rep. Jeong continued his offensive, stating, "In the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation trial, there was content about Kim Keon-hee giving orders over the phone. Isn't this evidence?" Minister Han replied, "As you know, this was all revealed during the previous administration's prosecution investigation phase. I believe the decision on whether to indict was made after considering even that."
Rep. Jeong also claimed that the timing of President Yoon and Kim's marriage was suspicious. He said, "The Financial Supervisory Service detected the stock manipulation and the police conducted an internal investigation, and at that time, they got married. Why did they get married at that particular time?" He added, "When the Deutsche Motors-related individuals were indicted, Yoon Seok-yeol was Prosecutor General, and the Deutsche Motors operation forces were on trial, but the husband of the potential suspect Kim Keon-hee became president." Upon hearing this, Minister Han let out a hollow laugh.
The tension between Minister Han and Rep. Jeong continued from the early stages of the questioning. When Rep. Jeong asked, "Are you not close to Kim Keon-hee? You exchanged 332 KakaoTalk messages, so if you're not close, why do you message so often?" Minister Han retorted, "That's not very many," and "You seem to have come without knowing, but all were cleared of charges."
In the middle of the questioning, Rep. Jeong criticized Minister Han's attitude, saying, "Minister, do you eat perilla oil or sesame oil, or do you eat ajukkari oil? Why are you being so cheeky?"
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