Lee Jongho, Close Aide to Kim Keonhee, Silent at Warrant Hearing... Detention Decision Expected Late at Night

Violation of Attorney-at-Law Act for 'Sentence Bargaining'
Special Prosecutor's Investigation Expected to Gain Momentum if Custody is Secured

The decision on whether to detain Lee Jongho, former CEO of Black Pearl Investment, known as a close aide to First Lady Kim Keonhee and the person who managed her accounts, is expected to be made as early as August 5.

At 10:30 a.m. on this day, Nam Sejin, the judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, will hold a pretrial detention hearing for Lee, who is accused of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act.

Arriving at the court around 10:05 a.m., Lee did not respond to reporters' questions, such as whether he acknowledges the charges, whether he mentioned his acquaintance with former President Yoon Sukyeol and his wife to Lee Jeongpil, or whether he lobbied Kim Keonhee to request leniency for Lee Jeongpil. He proceeded directly to the courtroom.

Previously, on August 1, the special prosecutor team led by Min Junggi, which is investigating allegations related to Kim Keonhee, requested an arrest warrant for Lee on charges of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act. Lee is accused of receiving approximately 80 million won from Lee Jeongpil, the main figure in the first round of the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, on 25 occasions between June 2022 and February 2023, and promising to help him receive a suspended sentence instead of imprisonment in his criminal trial.

Lee is known to have played the role of "control tower" in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, which is a key focus of the special prosecutor's investigation. He is also implicated in other allegations, such as the Sambu Construction stock manipulation case, which is suspected to have Kim Keonhee behind it, and lobbying efforts to save Lim Sunggeun and Cho Byeongno.

If the special prosecutor secures custody of Lee, it is expected to accelerate the investigation into the connections between Kim Keonhee and these cases. Lee has completely denied the charges, claiming that the statements by Lee Jeongpil, which triggered the investigation, are false.

The decision on Lee's detention is expected to be made late at night on this day at the earliest.