Prosecutors Reassign Investigation Team for 'Kim Jung-sook's India Visit Allegations'

The prosecution has changed the investigative department handling the case concerning former President Moon Jae-in's spouse, Kim Jung-sook's 'India visit suspicion.'

On the 11th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office announced that the case involving Mrs. Kim, which had been assigned to the Criminal Division 1 under the First Chief Prosecutor (Chief Prosecutor Kim Seung-ho), was reassigned to the Criminal Division 2 (Chief Prosecutor Jo Ara). A prosecution official explained, "The case was reassigned considering the workload of the department under the First Chief Prosecutor and the status of the investigation."

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The Criminal Division 1, which mainly handles cases related to honor and personal information, has formed a dedicated team investigating allegations of luxury handbag acceptance involving President Yoon Seok-youl's spouse, Kim Kun-hee. The Criminal Division 2, to which Mrs. Kim Jung-sook's case was reassigned, primarily deals with food and medical cases.

Earlier, Lee Jong-bae, a member of the People Power Party and Seoul City Councilor, filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in December last year against Mrs. Kim Jung-sook, accusing her of abuse of authority and obstruction of the exercise of rights, as well as the crime of loss to the state treasury under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, regarding her solo visit to the Taj Mahal in India in 2018. He claimed it was essentially an overseas trip funded by a supplementary budget of 400 million won allocated for travel purposes.