The prosecution stated that "Ms. Kim's side directly chose the date of appearance" in response to the Democratic Party's backlash over the summons investigation of Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.
Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is appearing at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do on the afternoon of the 5th to undergo investigation related to allegations of misuse of the Gyeonggi-do corporate card. The Public Investigation Division of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Heo Hoon) is investigating Ms. Kim as a suspect on charges including breach of trust in the course of duty. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 5th, the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office explained in a statement, "To prevent delays in the investigation, the prosecution notified Ms. Kim's lawyer on August 26 that the investigation would be replaced by a written inquiry, but this was refused, and they expressed their intention to be investigated on September 5. From July 4 to August 2, the prosecution requested Ms. Kim's appearance three times and coordinated the investigation schedule with her lawyer, but no agreement was reached even after more than 50 days from the initial request date."
They added, "Before today's investigation, the Democratic Party claimed that 'the political prosecution is trying to sacrifice the spouse at the Chuseok dinner table, not only the opposition leader but also his spouse. The prosecution is deliberately trying to put the opposition leader's spouse on the photo line right before Chuseok,' but these are false claims that do not correspond to the facts."
Furthermore, "The prosecution strictly maintained confidentiality regarding Ms. Kim's appearance investigation in accordance with the regulations on public relations of criminal cases," and "No information was disclosed externally until the investigation was completed," they stated.
Ms. Kim appeared at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in the afternoon for questioning. Entering the building at around 1:24 p.m. with lawyer Kim Chil-jun of the law firm Dasan, she was questioned from 1:40 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. for 1 hour and 55 minutes. However, it is known that she refused to give a statement. Ms. Kim is suspected of breach of trust and other charges for having former Gyeonggi Provincial Office special grade 5 public official Bae Mo, who was identified as a private secretary during Lee’s tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province from 2018 to 2019, pay for personal food expenses such as sandwiches and fruit with the Gyeonggi Province corporate card.
Cho Seung-rae, senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said in a written briefing that morning, "The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office decided to summon Ms. Kim Hye-kyung this afternoon over the use of the corporate card," and added, "Since the Yoon Seok-youl administration took power, it has continuously attempted to put Lee Jae-myung on the Chuseok dinner table."
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