Initially transferred to Suwon District Prosecutors' Office last year
Case handed over to special prosecutor after launch, but indictment not filed
Returned to police and then forwarded again to prosecution last month
The Special Investigation Headquarters of the police, which is investigating cases transferred from the three major special prosecutors (the death of a Marine in the line of duty, insurrection, and Kim Gunhee), has forwarded the case against former President Yoon Sukyeol's mother-in-law, Choi Eunsoon, on charges of violating the Farmland Act to the prosecution. Initially, the case was sent to the prosecution last year following a police investigation, but after passing through the special prosecutor, it was returned to the police, resulting in a delay in the proceedings.
At a press briefing held at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 2nd, an official from the Special Investigation Headquarters stated, "We transferred the Farmland Act violation case involving Choi to the prosecution on the 22nd of last month," and explained, "This was a case that the police investigated and forwarded to the prosecution in June last year, but after passing through the prosecution and the special prosecutor, it was returned to the police and then sent to the prosecution again without a separate investigation."
Choi Eunsoon, the mother of First Lady Kim Gunhee, appeared as a suspect at the Kim Gunhee Special Prosecutor's Office, which was set up last November in the KT Building in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, in connection with allegations of preferential treatment in the development of the Gongheung District in Yangpyeong. Photo by Yonhap News
Choi is suspected of illegally leasing two parcels of farmland, totaling approximately 3,300 square meters, that she owned in Yangpyeong-eup, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, to local residents between 2021 and 2023. She has owned the farmland since 2005, but it has been determined that she never actually cultivated it herself. The case was initially investigated by the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency in June last year and then transferred to the Yeoju Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office. However, after the launch of the Kim Gunhee Special Prosecutor, the case was handed over to the special prosecutor. As the special prosecutor failed to indict within its term, the case was returned to the National Investigation Headquarters.
The Special Investigation Headquarters has reclassified the cases received from the three major special prosecutors into 104 cases for investigation. An official stated, "Team 1, which is in charge of cases transferred from the special prosecutor on the death of a Marine in the line of duty, is handling 3 cases; Team 2, which investigates the insurrection special prosecutor cases, is handling 17 cases; and Team 3, which is responsible for the Kim Gunhee special prosecutor cases, is handling 84 cases."
Team 3, which is investigating the Kim Gunhee special prosecutor cases, has so far questioned eight people involved in the cases, including complainants and witnesses, as well as one suspect. In particular, it was explained that the team is conducting a detailed analysis of the first-instance court ruling related to the stock price manipulation charges against First Lady Kim Gunhee, which was obtained on the 28th of last month, and is reviewing matters relevant to the investigation.
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