Hong Joonpyo on Kim Keonhee's Special Prosecutor Appearance: "Yoon Reaps What He Sowed by Detaining Cho Kuk and His Wife"

Hong Joonpyo: "I Warned That Losing the Election Would Lead to Prison"
"Suffering the Consequences, So There Is Nothing to Say... Truly Regrettable"

On August 6, when Kim Keonhee, wife of former President Yoon Sukyeol, underwent her first questioning by a special prosecutor, former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo referred to the "Cho Kuk family investigation," in which Yoon, during his tenure as Prosecutor General, targeted former Cho Kuk Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk (then Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs and later Minister of Justice) and his wife, former Dongyang University professor Chung Kyungshim, as the main subjects. Hong stated, "If the special prosecutor follows the precedent set in the Cho Kuk case, then for President Yoon, it is a case of reaping what he has sown, so he has nothing to say," adding, "It is truly regrettable."

Former President Yoon Sukyeol and First Lady Kim Keonhee are talking inside a car as they leave the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on April 11.

On Facebook that day, Hong recalled, "During the presidential primary, I once asked candidate Yoon Sukyeol, 'Wasn't it too harsh to detain both members of the couple during the Cho Kuk family investigation?' and 'Isn't it customary in family-related investigations to detain only one spouse?'" He continued, "After that question, led by candidate Ha Taekyung, I was labeled as 'Cho Kuk Suhong' (Hong Joonpyo who protects Cho Kuk) and was unfairly accused of defending Cho Kuk, which caused me great trouble."

He added, "Even the law has compassion. My belief has always been that, no matter how grave the crime, one spouse should remain free," and continued, "Let's see if the special prosecutor can find grounds for non-detention that could quell the public anger toward Mrs. Kim in this case." He reiterated, "If the special prosecutor follows the Cho Kuk precedent, then for President Yoon, it is retribution, so he cannot complain." However, he concluded, "I even warned during the last presidential primary that if he lost the election, both President Yoon and his wife would end up in prison, and not to play games by putting forward Han Ducksoo (former Prime Minister and Acting President). It is truly regrettable."

Previously, in 2021, Hong had also stated on Facebook, "When I was a prosecutor, the usual practice in cases involving family crimes was to detain only the family representative and not to detain or even indict the others." He added, "That is why I said the investigation into Cho Kuk's family was excessive. If, in that case, Cho Kuk had said, 'I will take responsibility and be detained, so please leave my family alone,' the case would have ended with his detention. However, because Cho Kuk tried to escape responsibility, his wife, brother, cousin, and even his daughter were successively detained to pressure him."

Meanwhile, on August 6, Mrs. Kim appeared at the special prosecutor's office in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, in connection with allegations including the Deutsche Motors stock price manipulation, involvement with political brokers, free opinion polls, Unification Church lobbying, and omission of a luxury necklace from her asset declaration. This is the first time in the history of the Republic of Korea that the spouse of a current or former president has been publicly investigated as a suspect by law enforcement authorities. Standing before the press on the photo line that day, Mrs. Kim bowed her head and said, "I sincerely apologize to the people for causing concern as someone as insignificant as myself," and added, "I will cooperate fully with the investigation." When asked by reporters if she had anything to say to the public, she replied briefly, "I'm sorry."