[2024 National Audit] Lee Chang-su, Chief of Central District Prosecutors' Office, "Did Not Request Search Warrant for 'Deutsche Motors' Related to Mrs. Kim"

"Warrant Request Related to Cobana Contents... Reported Afterwards"

Lee Chang-soo, Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, is responding to questions from Chairman Jeong Cheong-rae during the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, Suwon High Prosecutors' Office, and Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the 18th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Lee Chang-soo, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, stated that no search warrants were requested for the residence or mobile phone of First Lady Kim Keon-hee in relation to the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation allegations.

On the 18th, during the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit, when Committee Chairman Jeong Cheong-rae asked, "Is it true that no search warrants were requested for First Lady Kim in connection with the Deutsche Motors case?" Lee responded, "Formally speaking, that statement is correct."

Lee explained, "The events in question did not occur while I was in office but between 2020 and 2021. From what I understand, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 investigated both the Kobana Contents sponsorship allegations and the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation allegations together," adding, "The same investigative team sometimes included both charges in a single warrant request, while other times they filed separately."

He further stated, "To my knowledge, since the same investigative team was handling both cases, they requested a warrant related to Kobana Contents once, which was dismissed."

Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Choi Jae-hoon) explained in a briefing on the 17th regarding the non-prosecution decision on First Lady Kim's violation of the Capital Markets Act that "search warrants were requested for First Lady Kim's residence, office, and mobile phone, but all were dismissed."

MBC reported that the prosecution requested warrants related to the Kobana Contents sponsorship allegations against First Lady Kim, but did not request any search warrants in connection with the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case.