Full-scale Investigation Accelerates into Nomination Interference and Investigation Suppression Allegations
Former Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Changsu to Be Resummoned on the 26th After Failing to Appear
Special Prosecutor’s Probe into Kim Keonhee to Conclude on the 28th
Kim Keonhee, the wife of former President Yoon Sukyeol, is under suspicion of having received a luxury brand 'Roger Vivier' bag from the spouse of Kim Gihyeon, a member of the People Power Party. On December 22, Kim appeared before the special prosecutor Min Junggi’s team for questioning.
Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, is attending the party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 21st. August 21, 2025 Photo by Kim Hyunmin
On this day, Deputy Special Prosecutor Oh Jeonghee stated during a regular briefing, "On December 22, Assemblyman Kim was summoned and is being questioned as a suspect." Kim is accused of conspiring with his spouse, Ms. Lee, to deliver a Roger Vivier clutch bag worth approximately 2.6 million won to Mrs. Kim after being elected as the People Power Party leader on March 8, 2023.
Kim arrived at the special prosecutor’s office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, at around 1:30 p.m. The special prosecutor’s team is reportedly investigating whether Kim was aware that his spouse gave the bag to Mrs. Kim.
On November 6, during a search and seizure at the residence of former President Yoon Sukyeol and his wife, the special prosecutor’s team discovered the clutch bag in question, as well as a thank-you letter written by Kim’s wife. The team suspects that Mrs. Kim mobilized members of the Unification Church to help Kim win the People Power Party leadership election in March 2022 and, in return, received the bag.
Regarding these suspicions, the special prosecutor’s team conducted a search and seizure of Kim and his spouse on December 17 and summoned Ms. Lee as a suspect for questioning on December 5, focusing on verifying the facts.
'Nomination Interference' Han Donghoon, 'Investigation Suppression' Lee Wonsuk and Lee Changsu Also Summoned
People Power Party's presidential candidate Han Donghoon is listening to candidate Kim Moonsoo's acceptance speech at the 5th Party Convention held at Kintex in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province on May 3, 2025. Photo by Yoon Dongju
The special prosecutor’s team has also reissued a summons for former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon, who has repeatedly failed to comply with previous requests, to appear at 2 p.m. on December 23. Han is being summoned as a reference in the case involving allegations of former President Yoon’s interference in candidate nominations. He was previously asked to appear for questioning as a witness on December 10 and 18 but did not attend.
Han previously stated that he had a conflict with former President Yoon after refusing a request to nominate former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Sangmin around the time of last year’s general election. The special prosecutor’s team explained that Han’s testimony is essential for the investigation, but he is effectively refusing to appear.
Additionally, the special prosecutor’s team has summoned former Prosecutor General Lee Wonsuk and former Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Changsu, who are suspected of involvement in the luxury Dior bag bribery and the suppression of the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation investigation, to appear on December 24 and 26, respectively.
The team is expected to question former Prosecutor General Lee as a witness to determine whether there was any dereliction of duty or undue external pressure during the prosecution’s investigation into Mrs. Kim. Former District Prosecutor Lee is being summoned as a suspect on charges of abuse of authority for allegedly mishandling the investigation and the decision not to indict Mrs. Kim after a visit by prosecutors.
To examine these suspicions, on December 18 the special prosecutor’s team conducted a comprehensive search and seizure of eight individuals who were either responsible for or in the chain of command during the investigation, including former District Prosecutor Lee, former Justice Minister Park Sungjae, former Presidential Office Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Kim Juhyun, and former Prosecutor General Shim Ujeong. Former District Prosecutor Lee did not appear for questioning as a suspect as originally scheduled for today, and if he fails to appear on December 26, the face-to-face investigation will effectively be canceled. The special prosecutor’s investigation period ends on December 28.
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