The prosecution summoned First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, to a third location for a face-to-face investigation.
The prosecution stated that they simultaneously investigated Kim’s alleged receipt of luxury bags and her involvement in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case. Kim’s side stated that she "testified truthfully."
President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who attended the 75th anniversary summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), are seen greeting as they disembark from Air Force One, their exclusive aircraft, upon returning home through Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 12th. [Photo by Yonhap News]
According to the legal community on the 21st, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office’s Criminal Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Kim Seung-ho), investigating the luxury bag receipt allegation, and the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 (Chief Prosecutor Choi Jae-hoon), investigating the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation involvement, summoned Kim to a government security office within the jurisdiction of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office for a face-to-face investigation the previous day.
A prosecution official said, "We requested Kim’s attendance regarding the complaint against her, and after consultation, for security and safety reasons, she was summoned to a government security office within the jurisdiction of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office for a face-to-face investigation."
The prosecution’s inability to summon Kim to the prosecution office appears to be due to the Yongsan Presidential Office’s persistent stance that a prosecution summons of Kim was inappropriate.
According to the prosecution, the investigation of Kim took place over approximately 12 hours, from around 1:30 p.m. the previous day until about 1:20 a.m. the following day.
The prosecution is known to have confirmed specific facts during the face-to-face investigation based on Kim’s responses to written inquiries previously sent to her side.
However, the prosecution withheld details about the investigation, including whether they confirmed the specific timing when President Yoon became aware of Kim’s receipt of the bags.
Kim’s attorney, Choi Ji-woo, stated, "Kim sincerely participated in the investigation and testified truthfully."
This is the first time the prosecution has conducted a face-to-face investigation of Kim regarding the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case or the luxury bag receipt case.
Kim was reported for alleged violations of the Capital Markets Act related to Deutsche Motors stock manipulation about four years ago, in April 2020.
The prosecution sent written inquiries to Kim twice, in December 2021 during the Moon Jae-in administration and last year, but reportedly did not receive responses at the necessary level.
The luxury bag receipt case began last December when the internet media outlet Seoul’s Voice filed a complaint against Kim and President Yoon for violations of the Anti-Graft Act and bribery charges. In early May this year, under the direction of Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok, a dedicated investigation team was formed, accelerating the investigation.
Since investigations of other related parties in both cases have already been completed, it is expected that the investigation of Kim will be the last step before a final disposition is made soon.
The Anti-Graft Act prohibits public officials’ spouses from receiving money or valuables related to the public official’s duties, but there is no provision to punish the spouse of a public official who receives such prohibited valuables. However, there is a provision to punish public officials who, knowing that their spouse received prohibited valuables, fail to promptly report it in writing.
Since the prosecution cannot indict Kim regarding the luxury bag receipt allegations, attention is focused on how much and in what manner the prosecution will disclose the facts revealed through the investigation when announcing the investigation results, and how they will handle the case in which President Yoon was reported.
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