Reassigned from Criminal Division 1 to Division 2
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The prosecution has been confirmed to be investigating all cases in which Kim Jung-sook, the wife of former President Moon Jae-in, has been accused or petitioned, by reallocating them to a single department.
According to Seoul City Council member Lee Jong-bae, who filed complaints or requested investigations against Mrs. Kim over allegations including her visit to the Taj Mahal in India on the 12th, wearing a Chanel jacket, and swimming lessons from a security officer, two complaints filed by Lee at the end of last year and in February this year accusing Mrs. Kim of abuse of power and loss of public funds, as well as a petition requested in January this year, have all recently been reassigned to the Criminal Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Jo Ara).
The prosecution initially assigned the two complaints to the Deputy Chief Prosecutor's Office of Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office but reassigned them to the Senior Prosecutor's Office of Criminal Division 2 citing "other reasons." The petition was also reassigned to the Senior Prosecutor's Office of Criminal Division 2 on the grounds of "consultation completed."
A representative from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office stated the day before, "Considering the workload of the department under the First Deputy Chief Prosecutor and the investigation status of the cases, they were reassigned to Criminal Division 2." This is interpreted as a measure taken considering that a dedicated investigation team was formed in Criminal Division 1 to investigate allegations such as the luxury bag received by Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-youl.
On December 28 last year, Council member Lee filed a complaint with the prosecution accusing Mrs. Kim of abuse of power related to her visit to the Taj Mahal in India.
In the complaint, Lee claimed, "In July 2018, when Mrs. Kim visited India with former President Moon Jae-in, she said she was 'disappointed not to visit the Taj Mahal.' Three months later, in October of the same year, when the Indian Tourism Vice Minister invited then Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jong-hwan to India, Mrs. Kim requested to visit India herself despite no invitation from the Indian side. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested the Indian side for Mrs. Kim's attendance, and she eventually visited India and toured the Taj Mahal."
He continued, "For Mrs. Kim's visit to India, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism allocated a budget of 400 million KRW related to the visit, including 250 million KRW for the presidential aircraft costs. It was reportedly approved at a Cabinet meeting in one day and the contingency fund was allocated three days after the application," adding, "Considering various circumstances, the purpose of the India visit can only be seen as a trip to the Taj Mahal."
He stated, "Therefore, allocating and using 400 million KRW of contingency funds for travel purposes is clearly illegal and constitutes the crime of loss of public funds, and it may also constitute embezzlement or breach of trust."
At the time, Lee also argued that hanging the presidential emblem with a phoenix pattern, which is regulated by decree to be used on aircraft or vehicles carrying the president, on the presidential aircraft during the India visit was a violation of the decree, and if Mrs. Kim ordered this, it would constitute abuse of power. He also claimed that it was illegal for Mrs. Kim to bring along the daughter of her regular designer and a Korean cuisine chef from the Blue House during the India visit.
Lee urged a thorough investigation, stating, "Mrs. Kim has made the most overseas trips among first ladies with 48 visits, reportedly twice as many as Kim Yoon-ok or Kwon Yang-sook," and added, "This means she traveled abroad about once a month, using taxpayers' hard-earned money for monthly overseas trips."
Although Lee's complaint regarding Mrs. Kim's India visit was filed at the end of last year, no investigation of the complainant has been conducted even after six months.
The controversy over Mrs. Kim's India visit resurfaced after former President Moon described it in his memoir published last month as "the first solo diplomatic activity by a president's wife," stating it was an official activity following an invitation from the Indian government. When it was revealed that the in-flight meal costs for the three-day trip exceeded 60 million KRW, the ruling party launched an offensive. Then Minister Do, who led the India delegation, Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Min-jung who accompanied Mrs. Kim, and Yoon Geon-young, former director of the National Situation Room, held a press conference to explain the allegations of "self-invitation" and "excessive in-flight meal costs."
Earlier, on the 5th, former President Moon posted on Facebook, "If you understand state affairs, such petty disputes would not exist," and rebutted, "It is impossible to order or eat more luxurious food than the provided set meals. The idea of ultra-luxury in-flight meals is fundamentally impossible."
On January 23, Council member Lee requested an investigation into Mrs. Kim, suspecting that she might have kept a Hangul jacket lent by Chanel during the 2018 state visit to Paris, France, instead of returning it to Chanel after meeting with Mrs. Macron.
Lee based his suspicion on the fact that when the related allegations surfaced, the Blue House returned the Chanel jacket and donated it to the National Hangul Museum for exhibition, but the jacket Mrs. Kim wore in France looked different. Also, when the allegations spread, Chanel reversed its previous statement that "Mrs. Kim returned the jacket she wore" and stated, "We made and donated a separate jacket at the request of the Hangul Museum."
In a press release at the time, Lee claimed, "There is a possibility that Mrs. Kim did not return the jacket to Chanel and kept it. If Mrs. Kim deceived Chanel and kept it without returning, it may constitute fraud or theft, and if there was compensation for keeping it, it may constitute bribery." He also argued, "Even if the jacket was returned, since the Chanel jacket was custom-made, the rental cost is estimated to be about 50 million KRW. If the 50 million KRW rental fee was paid using the Blue House's special activity funds, it may constitute loss of public funds or embezzlement."
On February 8, Lee also filed a complaint accusing Mrs. Kim of abuse of power related to receiving swimming lessons for over a year from a female security officer at the Blue House.
In the complaint, Lee cited a report from the Chosun Ilbo, stating, "Mrs. Kim reportedly received swimming lessons for over a year from a female security officer, a national public official, at the Blue House in 2018." He added, "After the report, the Presidential Security Service claimed that the female security officer only worked as a safety officer at the swimming pool for the president and his family and did not provide swimming lessons to the first lady, filing a defamation lawsuit but lost."
He continued, "The court ruled that it is a reasonable inference to suspect that the female security officer gave personal swimming lessons to the first lady, effectively recognizing the swimming lessons as a fact."
Lee explained the reason for the complaint, saying, "Having a female security officer, who has defined duties and responsibilities, provide swimming lessons constitutes abuse of power by forcing the security officer to perform duties not required of her. Therefore, I am filing a complaint against Mrs. Kim for abuse of power."
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