Kim Jung-sook Will Not Appear for Prosecution... Opposition: "No Obligation to Appear and Unreasonable Political Persecution"

Prosecution Requests Testimony from Kim Jung-sook, Wife of Moon; Yoon Gun-young Says "Investigation Needed for First Lady Kim Keon-hee"

Former President Moon Jae-in's wife, Kim Jung-sook, who was requested to appear as a witness in the investigation related to the 'special hiring suspicion involving the former son-in-law,' decided not to attend.

Yoon Gun-young, a close aide of former President Moon and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced through a press release on the afternoon of the 22nd, "Kim Jung-sook has decided not to respond to the prosecution's summons and has also informed the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office of her intention not to appear." He added, "A witness is not legally obligated to appear," and explained the reason, saying, "The ongoing prosecution investigation is groundless and an excessive political persecution."

Former President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook are greeting supporters as they leave the Blue House in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on May 9, 2022. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Yoon appeared on MBC Radio the previous day and revealed that Kim Jung-sook received a summons from the prosecution on the 20th. He also stated the day before, "Attempting to summon Kim Jung-sook, who has no connection to the former son-in-law's employment, is a typical act of humiliation and political persecution." He further argued, "The person who needs investigation now is Kim Kun-hee, not Kim Jung-sook," and claimed, "Despite receiving luxury bags and being found to have gained billions of won through Deutsche Motors, she is declared innocent, and the failure to investigate her is the real issue that needs to be clarified."

Moreover, he said, "Personally, I think Kim Jung-sook does not need to respond to the summons, but if the prosecutor comes to Pyeongsan Village to return her phone and conduct the investigation, it might be worth considering." He was sarcastically referring to the case where the prosecution investigated President Yoon Suk-yeol's wife, Kim Kun-hee, privately outside the office building, and the prosecutor who conducted the investigation did not have a mobile phone at the time.

Former President Moon is under investigation by the prosecution over the special hiring suspicion involving his former son-in-law, Mr. Seo. The prosecution believes there was a quid pro quo between Seo, who had no experience in the aviation industry but became an executive of the Thai airline 'Thai Starjet' in July 2018, and former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik, known as the actual owner of 'Thai Starjet,' who was appointed as the chairman of the Small and Medium Business Corporation.