Special Counsel Team Expected to Probe Investment Details
in Companies Linked to Kim Keonhee
The special counsel team investigating Kim Keonhee will summon executives from investment firms linked to the so-called "Butler Gate," including Ryu Geungseon, CEO of Kakao Mobility.
At a regular briefing that afternoon, Special Counsel Oh Junghui stated, "Taking various circumstances into account, we have scheduled to summon Ryu Geungseon, CEO of Kakao Mobility, for questioning at 10 a.m. next Monday (the 21st), regarding the Butler Gate case, after coordinating the schedule with Kakao."
"Butler Gate" refers to suspicions that IMS Mobility (formerly BeMyCar), a rental car company in which Kim Yesung?a close associate of the First Lady?participated in founding and held shares, received an investment of 18.4 billion won from Kakao Mobility and others in 2023. It is alleged that IMS Mobility then sold 4.6 billion won worth of shares through a borrowed-name company called Innovest Korea, profiting from the transaction.
Special Counsel Oh also announced that Yoon Jaehyun, CEO of Chamsun Food and known to be close to Kim Yesung, is scheduled to be summoned for questioning at 10 a.m. on the 22nd. In addition, Oh stated that a transfer request was made the previous day to move Jo Wonil, currently detained at Hongseong Prison for the Lime Fund case, to Seoul Southern Detention Center for questioning, and that the necessary investigation will be conducted next week.
The special counsel team is also reviewing whether to apply charges of obstruction of investigation against an aide to Kim Seongkyo, a People Power Party lawmaker and a key figure in the Yangpyeong preferential treatment allegations. The aide, despite not being a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, requested the special counsel team to share details of the investigation. Regarding Cho Seongok, former chairman of Sambu Construction, whose arrest warrant was dismissed by the court that day, the team plans to reapply for a warrant after further investigation.
Meanwhile, from the morning of the same day, the special counsel team conducted raids on more than 10 locations, including Cheonjeonggung Palace within Cheongpyeong Holy Ground in Gapyeong?known as the residence of Han Hakja?and Unification Church facilities in Seoul, as part of the investigation into the "Geonjin Bopsa lobbying allegations."
The search and seizure warrants specify charges of receiving brokerage bribes under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
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