First Appearance at Special Prosecutor's Office as a Suspect
Consistently Denies All Four Charges
Possibility of Arrest Warrant Raised
Kim Gunhee, wife of President Yoon Sukyeol, appeared as a suspect at the special prosecutor's office on the 6th and returned home after being questioned for about seven hours. It has been reported that she denied most of the allegations.
Former President Yoon Sukyeol's wife, Kim Gunhee, is being investigated as a suspect by the Min Joongki Special Investigation Team at the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 6th, and is returning home. Photo by Yonhap News
Kim arrived at the special prosecutor's office set up at the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, at around 10:11 a.m. on August 6, and left the building at 8:56 p.m., 10 hours and 45 minutes later. The special investigation team questioned Kim from 10:23 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. Afterward, Kim reviewed the investigation records and then returned home.
The special investigation team reportedly questioned Kim in the following order: allegations of stock price manipulation involving Deutsch Motors (violation of the Capital Markets Act); allegations of intervention in Myung Taegyun's nomination (violation of the Political Funds Act, the Public Official Election Act, and bribery); allegations of solicitation involving Geonjinbeopsa (acceptance of solicitation); and allegations of failing to report a necklace (violation of the Public Officials Ethics Act).
Present at the investigation were Kim, attorneys Yoo Junghwa, Chae Myungseong, and Choi Jiwoo, a team of prosecutors at the deputy chief prosecutor level, and a stenographer. The special investigation team addressed Kim as a "suspect," and it is reported that Kim did not exercise her right to remain silent and cooperated with the investigation.
Former President Yoon Seokyeol's wife, Kim Gunhee, is being investigated as a suspect on the 6th by the Min Jungki Special Investigation Team at the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and is returning home. Photo by Yonhap News
Kim is said to have consistently denied the allegations. In particular, regarding the Deutsch Motors stock price manipulation case, even when the special investigation team confronted her with a recorded phone call, she reportedly insisted that she was unaware of any stock price manipulation.
When leaving after the investigation, unlike when she arrived, Kim was wearing glasses, her hair was disheveled, and she appeared unsteady on her feet. She did not respond to questions from the press and got into her security vehicle in silence before returning home.
The special investigation team is expected to summon Kim again to investigate other cases, including allegations of stock price manipulation involving Sambu Construction and preferential treatment in the Yangpyeong Expressway project. There is also speculation that if Kim continues to deny all charges, the team may seek an arrest warrant.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
