Will investigation on First Lady’s stock manipulation case create ‘rift’ between presidential office and prosecution?

South Korean President Yoon Seok-yul and his wife Kim Gun-hee, who are on a state visit to the United States, greet each other upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., on Thursday afternoon (local time). Kim Chang-gil

After the general election last week, attention is being paid to whether the prosecution will investigate First Lady Kim Keon-hee for her alleged involvement in the manipulation of Deutsch Motors' stock price. As the prosecution and the presidential office have been at odds over the investigation of Kim, there is an observation that there is a possibility that the prosecution will investigate Kim in the future. It means the investigation of Kim could expose the rift between the presidential office and the prosecution.

According to a report by the Kyunghyang Shinmun on April 12, the prosecution and the presidential office reportedly had differences over the handling of the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case, including an investigation into Kim earlier this year. The Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office argued for the need to investigate Kim, while the presidential office took the position that the investigation should be postponed until the second trial sentence of the people charged earlier comes out. The presidential office reportedly believed that the influence of Kim's case could be reduced if former Deutsch Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo, who was convicted in the first trial, was acquitted in the second trial.

Signs of a rift between the presidential office and the prosecution were first revealed by the rumor that Song Kyung-ho, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, was replaced. "Prosecutor Song Kyung-ho is said to be very close to President Yoon Seok-yeol, but I recently heard that there are disagreements within the prosecution regarding the handling of Kim’s case and that there are plans to replace him," said Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-bae during the confirmation hearing of Justice Minister Park Sung-jae in February. At the time, it was said that a personnel plan to transfer Song to the Busan High Prosecutor's Office was prepared, but the appointment was canceled at the last minute. It has been four years since Kim was accused, but she has not been investigated, let alone being punished. This is in contrast to former Chairman Kwon and others who have been indicted and are in the midst of the second trial.

As a result of the general election, the political landscape has changed unfavorably to the presidential office and the ruling party and the president has entered into the middle of the administration, the question is whether the prosecution will change its attitude toward Kim's case. The opposition's insistence on reintroducing the "Kim Keon-hee Special Prosecutor Act" and pressure on the prosecution for further prosecutorial reforms are also factors that pressure the prosecution to investigate Kim.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.