Hong Joonpyo: "Stock Manipulation May Be an Unimaginably Serious Abuse of State Power"
Kim Keonhee Special Prosecutor Team Questions Former Foreign Minister Park Jin for Seven Hours
Investigating Link Between Ukraine Visit and Sambu Construction Stock Price
Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo stated that the results of the special prosecutor's investigation into Kim Keonhee, wife of former President Yoon Sukyeol, would deliver a significant shock to the public. Min Junggi's special prosecutor team is focusing on allegations involving stock price manipulation by Sambu Construction related to Kim Keonhee.
On August 4, through his Facebook page, former Mayor Hong said, "Because the public has already absorbed everything, the special prosecutor's investigation into Yoon (former President Yoon Sukyeol) will not be a major shock. However, the special prosecutor's investigation into Kim Keonhee will bring a tremendous shock to the public in the future."
Hong added, "In particular, the recently discussed stock manipulation using Ukraine war reconstruction as bait is nothing short of an unimaginably serious abuse of state power. A related company official has already been arrested, and even the then Minister of Foreign Affairs has been questioned, which shows the gravity of the situation. If someone made an unplanned, sudden visit to a country at war, and lured a specific company into a war zone where the end is unknown, using reconstruction as bait to assist in stock price manipulation, that would be a heinous crime against the nation. The situation is grim and there is no clear way forward."
On August 4, Min Junggi's special prosecutor team, which is investigating Kim Keonhee's alleged stock price manipulation, summoned former Foreign Minister Park Jin to their Gwanghwamun office in Seoul for about seven hours of questioning as a reference witness. The special prosecutor is reported to have focused on clarifying the circumstances under which former President Yoon Sukyeol and his wife visited Ukraine unexpectedly in July 2023, following their visits to Lithuania and Poland, and how this schedule might be related to the allegations of Sambu Construction's stock price manipulation.
Two months before the presidential couple’s visit to Ukraine, in May of last year, Sambu Construction had promoted its participation in the Ukraine Reconstruction Forum held in Poland, signing various memoranda of understanding (MOUs). After the presidential couple’s visit, Sambu Construction’s stock price surged. The special prosecutor believes that Sambu Construction used this opportunity to boost its stock price and then sold its holdings for unfair profits, and is conducting an investigation accordingly. To confirm the overall allegations, the special prosecutor plans to summon Kim Keonhee for questioning on August 6.
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