Summoned as a Reference Witness... Confirmation of Nomination Elimination Process
Former Lawmaker Koo Sangchan Also Questioned... Regarding Gangseo-gu District Mayoral Nomination
Possibility of Imminent Face-to-Face Questioning of Kim Geonhee
Letter of Attorney Submitted to Prosecutors
On April 24, prosecutors summoned and questioned a former mayor of Pyeongtaek as part of their investigation into allegations that Kim Geonhee, wife of former President Yoon Sukyeol, intervened in the nomination process for the June 1, 2022 local elections.
The investigation, which began with allegations of nomination interference involving "political broker" Myung Taegyun and former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Youngsun, now appears to be expanding to cover the nomination processes of various elections held after former President Yoon took office. Some analysts suggest that a face-to-face questioning of Kim Geonhee is now imminent.
According to legal sources, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's special investigation team on the Myung Taegyun case (headed by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Jihyung) summoned former Pyeongtaek Mayor Gong Jaegwang as a reference witness on this day.
Prosecutors are said to have confirmed the circumstances under which former Mayor Gong, who ran as a preliminary candidate for Pyeongtaek mayor from the People Power Party in the 2022 local elections, was eliminated from the nomination race. At the time, former President Yoon and his wife were suspected of supporting Choi Ho, a "pro-Yoon" candidate who was evaluated as having less competitive polling results during the party's nomination process for Pyeongtaek mayor.
Choi, the preliminary candidate, served as a political advisor to the central election campaign headquarters for then-presidential candidate Yoon Sukyeol of the People Power Party in 2022, as well as a standing advisor to the presidential transition committee. In April of that year, when rumors spread within the party that Choi would be the sole nominee, the other seven preliminary candidates held a press conference demanding a primary election. Former Mayor Gong even staged a hunger strike. However, on May 2, 2022, the People Power Party nominated Choi as the sole candidate for Pyeongtaek mayor, but he was defeated in the general election by Jeong Jangsun, the then-candidate from the Democratic Party.
On the same day, prosecutors also questioned former lawmaker Koo Sangchan to verify allegations that former President Yoon intervened in the nomination of the Gangseo-gu district mayoral candidate during the 2022 local elections.
The core of the suspicion is that Kim Taewoo, the former Gangseo-gu district mayor, who had been nominated as the sole candidate despite controversy over his eligibility due to a prison sentence in the first trial related to exposing an alleged cover-up of an inspection under the Moon Jaein administration, ran in the election, was later convicted, and then pardoned, allowing him to run again in the subsequent by-election. It is alleged that former President Yoon played a role in this process.
Former President Yoon Sukyeol and Kim Geonhee are talking inside a car as they leave the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on April 11, 2025. Photo by Yoon Dongju
Former lawmaker Koo was the head of the People Power Party's Gangseo-gap district party committee in Seoul in 2022, and served as co-chair of Kim Taewoo's campaign for the 2023 by-election. Prosecutors recently summoned Kim Taewoo as well to verify the facts. It is also reported that prosecutors have secured physical evidence, including an audio recording in which former President Yoon is heard telling party leadership to "let Kim Taewoo run."
After the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office transferred part of the Myung case in February, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has expanded its investigation to cover not only the 2022 parliamentary by-election involving Kim Youngsun's nomination, but also the simultaneous local elections and even last year's 22nd general election. With a series of related parties being questioned, there is growing speculation that the investigation is nearing completion and that a face-to-face questioning of Kim Geonhee is imminent.
Recently, Kim Geonhee submitted a letter of attorney to the prosecution, and prosecutors have communicated their position that an in-person questioning at the prosecutor's office is necessary in the near future.
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