"Silent Response to the Question 'Do You Admit the Charges?'"
The prosecution will summon Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the afternoon of the 5th in connection with the so-called 'Gyeonggi-do corporate card misuse' allegations.
According to the legal community, the Public Investigation Division of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Heo Hoon) plans to investigate Kim at 2 p.m. on that day as a suspect on charges including breach of trust in the course of duty. This comes about two months after the prosecution notified Kim of the summons on July 4. At that time, the prosecution also notified Lee Jae-myung of a summons, but it is not confirmed whether Lee's investigation schedule has been coordinated.
Initially, it was reported that Kim would enter the building via other routes such as the underground passage of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office without standing on the photo line for the press on that day, but around 1:30 p.m., 30 minutes before the investigation began, she appeared in front of the back gate of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office walking with her lawyer in front of the press. When asked, "Do you admit the charges?" Kim did not respond and entered the building. It is known that Kim's legal representation for the prosecution investigation was entrusted to Lawyer Kim Chil-jun of the Dasan Law Firm. The summons investigation is reported to be conducted privately.
The Gyeonggi-do corporate card misuse allegations involve Lee Jae-myung, who was the governor of Gyeonggi-do in 2018-2019, and his wife Kim Hye-kyung, who allegedly had Baek Mo, a level 5 special appointment public official at the provincial government office at the time, pay for personal food expenses such as sandwiches and fruit using the Gyeonggi-do corporate card, thereby privately misappropriating Gyeonggi-do budget. This allegation became known when Jo Myeong-hyeon, a former special appointment employee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, exposed it in early 2022 ahead of the 20th presidential election.
Previously, Jo reported that Kim and Baek, a level 5 special appointment official, misused the corporate card for personal purposes, and Baek was prosecuted for violating the Public Official Election Act (donation act) related to this allegation and was sentenced to 10 months in prison with a 2-year probation. This verdict was finalized as is.
Kim, who was indicted as an accomplice in Baek's election law violation case, is currently undergoing a first trial. The whistleblower Jo filed a report with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission in August last year, requesting an investigation into Lee’s instruction and tacit approval of the corporate card misuse by his spouse. The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office has been investigating the case after receiving it from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, which had received it from the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, which judged that 'there is a possibility that Lee was aware of his spouse’s corporate card misuse.'
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