Kim Keon-hee becomes first spouse of incumbent president investigated by prosecutors

First Lady Kim Gun-hee.

First Lady Kim Gun-hee has been investigated by prosecutors for allegedly manipulating Deutsch Motors‘ stock price and accepting a luxury bag. Prosecutors made the announcement last weekend after conducting a closed-door investigation of Kim as a suspect at the Presidential Security Service’s annex building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, not at the prosecutors‘ office. It is the first time a sitting president’s wife has been questioned face-to-face by investigative agencies in Korea.

Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok was unaware of the investigation into Kim beforehand and was informed by Seoul Central District Prosecutor Lee Chang-soo near the end of the investigation. Following the rumor of the presidential office’s no confidence in the prosecutor general, the controversy over ignoring him is expected to rise again.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said on July 21, "We summoned Kim in connection with the cases, including the manipulation of Deutsch Motors' stock price and violation of the anti-graft law," adding, "As a result of the consultation, we summoned her to a government security office under our jurisdiction on July 20 and conducted a face-to-face investigation for security and safety reasons." Choi Ji-woo, a lawyer representing the first lady, said, “Kim was sincere in the investigation and faithfully stated the truth.”

The investigation was conducted in the order of stock price manipulation and luxury bag acceptance. The prosecution put more weight on the investigation into the stock price manipulation case. Prior to the investigation, Kim submitted a written answer to the prosecution's question on the alleged manipulation of stock prices. The face-to-face interview was based on the written answer.

Kim arrived at the investigation site with her lawyer at around 12:40 p.m. the previous day to prepare. Investigations began at 1:30 p.m. and finished at around 1:20 a.m. on the day. It took about 12 hours including investigations into the two cases, reading records, and meals.

Criticism has been raised that it is a preferential treatment as the prosecution made it public seven hours after investigating Kim behind closed doors at a third place. It has been confirmed that even Prosecutor General Lee has not been briefed on the method, location, and timing of the investigation into Kim. Critics point out that the prosecution may have destroyed the basic principle of the investigation, which Lee emphasized, saying, "There is no privilege or sanctuary," while being wary of the presidential office.

Kim’s side earlier protested, saying, “It may be legally inappropriate to subpoena and investigate acts for which no punishment exists (under the anti-graft law).” An official from the Central District Prosecutors' Office said, "Since Kim is the incumbent first lady, we had to consider issues, such as security and safety, and the intention of the person concerned."

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea criticized the investigation as a “promise game” and a “cover-up,” saying it would not “let go of the reins of a special counsel investigation into the allegations of Kim Keon-hee.” A senior official at the presidential office said, “It seems excessive to claim that the wife of the incumbent president was given special treatment regarding the investigation.”

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