Shin Pyung: "Kim Keonhee Said, 'Seohi Construction Is Colluding with the Administration to Destroy Us'"

"Kim Keonhee Asked About President Lee's Strengths"
Expressed Hopes for Yoon Sukyeol's Political Comeback

Kim Keonhee, who is currently detained in a detention center, reportedly told lawyer Shin Pyung during a meeting, "Seohi Construction is colluding with the administration to destroy us." This suggests that she believes the special prosecutor's investigation is being conducted unfairly.

"Kim Keonhee Asked About President Lee's Strengths... Also Asked to Convey Them to Yoon"

Yoon Sukyeol's wife, Kim Gunhee, attended the pre-arrest warrant hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 12th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Lawyer Shin Pyung, known as a 'mentor' to former President Yoon Sukyeol, stated in phone interviews with several media outlets, including Yonhap News and Chosun Ilbo on the 20th, that he recently visited Kim Keonhee. He claimed that Kim expressed her frustration regarding the incident in which Lee Bonggwan, chairman of Seohi Construction, confessed to the special prosecutor's team that he had given expensive jewelry, such as a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, to Kim in March 2022 and had requested a personnel favor for his eldest son-in-law, lawyer Park Seonggeun, a former prosecutor.

Shin also said that Kim asked him what strengths President Lee Jaemyung has. He replied, "Above all, the president is someone who knows how to nurture people. That is why he became president." According to Shin, Kim agreed and repeatedly asked him, "Yes, the president has nurtured people. He is someone who knows how to do that. Please be sure to tell my husband this the next time you see him." This is interpreted as an expression of her hope for her husband, former President Yoon, to make a political comeback.

"Would My Death Open a Path for My Husband? How Could Han Donghoon Do This?" She Expresses Her Feelings

First Lady Kim Gunhee is leaving the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, after attending the pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review) held on the afternoon of the 12th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Shin also shared Kim's situation, which he observed during their meeting, through Facebook. He said, "As soon as Kim sat down in the meeting room, she abruptly asked, 'Sir, would my death open a path for my husband to live?' She seemed to be deeply preoccupied with this thought these days." He also revealed that Kim said, "How could Han Donghoon do such a thing? If he had not betrayed us, wouldn't unlimited glory have awaited him?" Shin said he comforted Kim and advised her to try to forgive Han Donghoon, former leader of the People Power Party. He described Kim as "so emaciated that only her thin frame remains."

On the 12th, Kim was issued an arrest warrant and detained at Seoul Southern Detention Center on charges of violating the Political Funds Act, the Capital Markets Act, and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery). Previously, with former President Yoon also being held at Seoul Detention Center, this marked the first time in constitutional history that a former presidential couple was detained simultaneously. On the 14th, during an interrogation, Kim reportedly asked her legal team, "Will I ever be able to live with my husband again? Will we ever meet again?" On the 19th, during another meeting with her lawyers, she again expressed her desire to live with former President Yoon. Kim is scheduled to appear before Special Prosecutor Min Jungki's team for her third interrogation since her detention at 2 p.m. on the 21st.