Seoul: Former first lady Kim Keon Hee has once again refused to testify during a fifth round of questioning concerning corruption allegations, as confirmed by a special counsel team ahead of her impending indictment later this week. Kim, the wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, appeared at special counsel Min Joong-ki's office in central Seoul after being brought in from a detention center where she has been held since August 13.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim was interrogated on Thursday morning regarding her alleged involvement in manipulating stock prices of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, between 2009 and 2012. The questioning was paused for a lunch break and resumed in the afternoon, during which Kim exercised her right to remain silent, as she had done in previous sessions. Assistant special counsel Oh Jeong-hee reported Kim's continued silence during a press briefing following the session.
Kim faces multiple allegations, including her involvement in stock manipulation schemes, interference in candidate nominations for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections and the upcoming 2024 general elections, and receiving luxury gifts from the Unification Church through a shaman in exchange for business favors. The special counsel team has announced plans to indict her with physical detention on Friday, just two days before her pretrial arrest period concludes.
In a related development, the special counsel team also intends to indict Kim Ye-seong, known as the "butler" of the former first lady's family. He is accused of embezzling 3.38 billion won (approximately US$2.44 million) from IMS Mobility, a company he played a role in establishing. Both indictments are scheduled to proceed with physical detention on Friday.