[Exclusive] Kim Yunhee Denies '2 Billion Won for Influencing Kim Gunhee' Allegations: "100% Fiction... Never Met Her"

New Exploration's Kang Jingoo and Sungjin Kim, Watchdog's Jaehyun Heo Accused
"Cho Kyungsik Asked to Borrow 600 Million Won for Stock Investment"
"Reports and Press Conferences Based Solely on the Words of a Convicted Fraudster"

"I have never met First Lady Kim Gunhee, not even once."

Former President Yoon Sukyeol's wife Kim Gunhee is attending a detention hearing (warrant review) held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 12th. The special prosecution team led by Min Joongki filed a detention warrant with the court on the 7th against Kim for violations of the Capital Markets Act, Political Funds Act, and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (bribery). Photo by Joint Press Corps

On August 11, during an interview with Asia Economy at her office in Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, Kim Ryunhee responded this way when asked by a reporter whether she actually had a personal relationship with First Lady Kim. Kim is currently suspected of receiving 2 billion won from former Ssangbangwool Group chairman Kim Sungtae's side and lobbying for his bail release by leveraging her connection to the First Lady.

Recently, Kang Jingoo and Sungjin Kim of New Exploration, along with Jaehyun Heo of Watchdog, raised allegations on their YouTube broadcast based on a transcript of a conversation between whistleblower Cho Kyungsik, former vice chairman of KH Group (who is currently under arrest and indictment), and an individual believed to be the attorney for Lee Hwayoung, former Deputy Governor of Peace for Gyeonggi Province. They claimed that, at Kim Ryunhee's request, First Lady Kim Gunhee used her influence over Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Heedae and Presiding Judge Shin Jinwoo, who oversaw Kim Sungtae's first trial, resulting in Kim Sungtae's release on bail.

New Exploration began its coverage with its first broadcast on August 2. On August 6, the Democratic Party’s Political Prosecution Fabrication Indictment Response Task Force (TF) held a press conference, referenced these reports, and called for a thorough investigation by the Kim Gunhee Special Prosecutor Team. Two days later, on August 8, they filed a complaint with the special prosecutor, accusing Kim Ryunhee of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act.

On the 2nd, in the New Exploration YouTube broadcast, New Exploration reporter Sungjin Kim (left) and Watchdog reporter Jaehyun Heo are reporting on the lobbying allegations for the release of former Ssangbangwool Group chairman Sungtae Kim. Screenshot of the YouTube broadcast.

On the same day, Kim filed a criminal complaint with the Seocho Police Station against reporters Kang Jingoo, Jaehyun Heo, and Sungjin Kim-who, along with whistleblower Cho Kyungsik, had reported through multiple YouTube broadcasts that Kim had received 2 billion won for lobbying for Kim Sungtae's release, had met First Lady Kim Gunhee several times at her Pyeongchang-dong residence, and could manipulate Chief Justice Cho and the prosecution as if they were her subordinates. The complaint alleges defamation by spreading false information in violation of the Information and Communications Network Act.

Attorney Lee Seungjun (Judicial Research and Training Institute, 37th class), representing Kim, stated in the complaint, "The accused published one-sided, unverified claims on YouTube for the purpose of soliciting donations, and continued to damage the complainant’s reputation by producing follow-up videos. If 2 billion won had actually been delivered to the complainant, there should be at least some evidence of who delivered it to whom, whether any proof exists, and whether the complainant actually knows First Lady Kim, Chief Justice Cho, or Presiding Judge Shin Jinwoo. However, they did not go through even these minimum verification steps and instead sought to profit enormously by publishing witch-hunt style articles targeting politically biased readers."

I met with Kim Ryunhee to ask about all the allegations raised. The following is a Q&A with Kim.

-There are allegations that you lobbied for Kim Sungtae’s release through First Lady Kim Gunhee. Do you actually have a personal relationship with the First Lady?

▲I have never met First Lady Kim Gunhee, not even once. The only time I have seen her is on TV. Also, not only is there a CCTV camera at my front door, but there is also one in my living room. Does it make any sense to claim that First Lady Kim came to my house every night to see me?

-You are known as a shaman.

▲I suffered from severe spiritual illnesses since childhood. However, I never formally studied shamanism. My mother-in-law owned a Buddhist temple. I do have some foresight about the future, so I have read people’s physiognomy or fortune for those around me. If people say I have spiritual abilities, that would be true, and if they call me a shaman, I can’t help it, but in any case, I never formally learned shamanism. Currently, I am the CEO of a company that operates an art gallery exhibition business and rents out locations for drama filming.

-How did you come to know Kim Sungtae, KH Group chairman Bae Sangyoon, and former vice chairman Cho Kyungsik, who are all mentioned in this case? The broadcast claims you were introduced through singer Yang Soogyung.

▲I got to know Bae Sangyoon through Yang Soogyung, whom I had known through an acquaintance. At that time, Bae was the CEO of Yang Soogyung’s agency, and many people asked me to pray for his success because so many people made a living thanks to him. Kim Sungtae first came to see Bae while he was praying, and that’s when I first met him. He stayed for about 10 minutes and then left. As for Cho Kyungsik, I was introduced to him by someone who was brought along by an acquaintance.

On the 8th, Han Junho, head of the Democratic Party's Political Prosecution Fabrication Indictment Response Task Force (TF), and other members held a press conference before submitting a complaint regarding the bail release of former Ssangbangwool Group chairman Kim Sungtae to the office of the Min Joongki Special Prosecutor Team investigating allegations related to First Lady Kim Gunhee at the KT Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

-How many times did you meet Kim Sungtae?

▲He came once when Bae Sangyoon was praying, and then I met him again at the end of January 2024, after he was released on bail, when he visited together with Yang Soogyung and Cho Kyungsik. The first time, he left after about 10 minutes. The second time, we chatted about various topics such as things that happened in Thailand and about children. The topic of fortune-telling came up, and I told him, "Since your saju lacks the wood element, it would be better for you to live in a detached house." According to the reports, it sounds as if after meeting Kim Sungtae, we moved to the Hanwoori main branch and had a meal together, but I don’t eat meat in the first place. You can check the CCTV footage from that day. Neither Yang Soogyung nor I went to the dinner, and Kim Sungtae left in a hurry, saying he was late for another appointment.

-Did Cho Kyungsik ever talk about Kim Sungtae’s bail?

▲Cho Kyungsik often boasted about himself. He would bring up Kim Sungtae, who was then in detention, and say that when he used to run a nightclub, he had mentored Kim Sungtae since his younger, struggling days. He also claimed he was the one who taught Kim Sungtae about stocks. He said it broke his heart to see his "younger brother" in prison and asked me to help find a lawyer. When I said I knew a lot of lawyers, he asked me to look for more, so I replied, "How could I possibly know a lawyer who is close to a judge? But let’s at least see what the judge looks like." I searched for a photo of Presiding Judge Shin Jinwoo online and commented, "He looks like a very strict person." It was around a holiday, and Cho said he hadn’t eaten all day, so I made him rice cake soup.

-Based on a text message from Cho Kyungsik mentioning a "600 million won bet," there are suspicions that 2 billion won was delivered to you and that you returned 600 million won as a kickback. There was also a text about meeting at Doongdoong Island.

▲That is completely absurd. I have never even heard of the 2 billion won. The 600 million won was money that Cho Kyungsik asked me to lend him for stock investments. He said, "There are about 150 people in my group who manipulate stock prices in a building in Gangnam. If you lend me 600 million won, you can quickly make 10 or 20 billion won." He boasted that they use an entire building, with one floor dedicated just to managing bank accounts, and people on different floors don’t even know each other’s faces. He said he had a purpose and that he wanted to make my life comfortable, and even told me he would cry when he thought of me. Even after that, Cho would often loiter around my house and contact me saying he was nearby. When I found out he had a history with a violent gang, I started to avoid him. Once, when I was about to go out and had called a taxi, Cho showed up again, so I told him I had called a taxi and left in a hurry. I started thinking I needed to prevent him from coming by again, but I was worried that if I offended him, it could put me in danger. So, to calm things down, I texted him to meet at Doongdoong Island. I told him I would be releasing fish near Jamsu Bridge on the Han River the next day and suggested we meet there. He said he would be coming from Incheon, but he was very late. We met at a cafe, and I told him with a smile not to come to my house anymore. That was the last time.

Ms. Kim Ryunhee, who has been accused of lobbying for the bail release of former Ssangbangwool Group chairman Kim Sungtae through First Lady Kim Gunhee.

-After the reports aired, Democratic Party lawmakers filed a complaint with the special prosecutor. How do you feel now?

▲If I had really done something wrong, I wouldn’t feel any resentment even if these articles were published. But I cannot understand how the media can report such ridiculous claims-that I know First Lady Kim, that she comes to see me every night-based solely on the words of someone with a fraud conviction. I also can’t understand how members of the National Assembly, who are supposed to protect the people and clarify injustices, could hold a press conference and cause pain to the public without even fact-checking, simply by believing the words of a convicted fraudster. This is not something a human being should do. Ever since the broadcasts aired, I haven’t been able to sleep no matter how many sleeping pills I take, and the blood vessels in my eyes have all burst. I can’t leave the house, and I get startled just seeing people. Because of me, my husband can’t work either. If you search for my husband on Naver, it’s filled with posts calling him a scammer. For 40 years, my husband has supported people released from juvenile detention centers and prisons by providing free meals and other aid. This has destroyed an individual and a family.