'Allegations of Nomination Interference'
Former Prosecutor Kim Sangmin Testifies in Special Counsel Investigation
"I Purchased the Painting at the Request of Kim Jinwoo"
The special prosecutor team led by Min Joongki, which is investigating allegations related to First Lady Kim Keonhee, notified her older brother Kim Jinwoo to appear for questioning on September 11. However, it has been confirmed that Kim's side has conveyed that attendance will be difficult.
On September 10, the special prosecutor team announced to the media, "We notified Kim Jinwoo to appear on the afternoon of the 11th, and initially heard that he intended to attend. However, this morning, we were informed that attendance would be difficult due to the circumstances of his attorney."
The reason the special prosecutor team summoned Kim is linked to the testimony given the previous day by former Deputy Prosecutor Kim Sangmin, who is suspected of delivering a painting worth around 100 million won to the First Lady in exchange for candidate nomination favors. Kim Sangmin stated that he purchased the painting at the request of the First Lady's brother.
After being questioned by the special prosecutor team for 13 hours the previous day, former Prosecutor Kim told reporters, "The controversial painting was not owned by me; I merely brokered it at the request of Kim Jinwoo. I do not know the source of the funds. I can only say that I received the funds from Kim Jinwoo."
Regarding the specific circumstances of the purchase, he said, "The company said the painting would only be sold if the buyer's identity was guaranteed. Kim Jinwoo's side asked me to purchase it discreetly, saying that if information leaked that Kim Keonhee or the Kim Jinwoo family was buying the painting, the price could double or triple."
The allegations of candidate nomination interference include claims that the First Lady sought to have former Prosecutor Kim run in the 2024 general election for the Changwon Uichang constituency in South Gyeongsang Province, which was the district of former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Youngsun.
Myung Taegyun, a so-called "political broker" who assisted the former lawmaker at the time, has claimed, "The First Lady instructed us to support former Prosecutor Kim so he could win in Changwon Uichang. She said that if we did, he would be given a ministerial or state-run company president position after the election." However, former Prosecutor Kim did not receive the nomination for Changwon Uichang and was instead appointed as a legal advisor to the National Intelligence Service in August of the same year.
Recently, it was revealed that the special prosecutor team confirmed former Prosecutor Kim as the purchaser of artist Lee's painting, "From the Dot No. 800298," which was found during a search of the home of the First Lady's brother's mother-in-law. The special prosecutor team suspects that the First Lady's side may have intervened in former Prosecutor Kim's candidate nomination in exchange for receiving the painting.
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