Seoul: A special counsel team has completed its first round of questioning with former first lady Kim Keon Hee regarding her alleged involvement in stock manipulation, election meddling, and other charges. Kim has denied the allegations, as reported by judicial sources.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the questioning spanned more than seven hours, commencing at approximately 10:23 a.m. at the office of special counsel Min Joong-ki in central Seoul. Kim Keon Hee, the wife of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol, is the first spouse of a former or sitting president to be publicly named as a suspect in a criminal investigation.
Upon her arrival, Kim addressed reporters, expressing regret for causing public concern and pledging to cooperate with the investigation. Despite her cooperative stance, Kim reportedly denied all allegations during the session.
The special counsel's interrogation focused on several key allegations, including Kim's alleged involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme with Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, during the years 2009 to 2012. Additional allegations involve meddling in candidate nominations for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections and the 2024 general elections, as well as receiving luxury gifts from the Unification Church through a shaman in return for business favors.
The special counsel team is investigating a total of 16 criminal allegations against Kim, suggesting that further questioning sessions are likely. Specific accusations include Kim's omission of a high-end necklace from a legally required asset disclosure during a visit to Spain in 2022, and a false statement made by Yoon in 2021 regarding her alleged involvement in the stock manipulation scheme.
Further suspicions under investigation include the couple's unexpected visit to Ukraine in 2023, which allegedly influenced the share price of a midsized construction company, changes to the endpoint of an expressway project near Kim's family-owned land in Yangpyeong, and preferential treatment received by her family in an apartment construction project.
The questioning was initially expected to continue past 9 p.m. but concluded earlier due to Kim's objection, as nighttime questioning requires the suspect's consent. Outside the office, protesters both supporting and opposing the former presidential couple gathered, despite the rainy weather, to voice their opinions.
This investigation follows previous cases where former first ladies were questioned, albeit less publicly. In 2004, Lee Soon-ja, wife of former President Chun Doo-hwan, was questioned in a slush fund case, and in 2009, Kwon Yang-sook, wife of former President Roh Moo-hyun, was interviewed as a witness in a corruption case; both instances were only revealed after the fact.