Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor, Yoon summoned on the 29th at 10 AM... Mrs. Kim on the 6th of next month

[Financial News] The Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor team (Min Jung-gi special prosecutor) has notified the core figures of various suspicions, former President Yoon Seok-yeol and Mrs. Kim Geon-hee, of a summons investigation.
Moon Hong-joo, the deputy special prosecutor, announced on the 21st that a request for cooperation in the investigation was sent to the head of Seoul Detention Center, asking former President Yoon, who is accused of violating the Public Official Election Act, to appear at 10 AM on the 29th. A summons request was also sent to Mrs. Kim, who is accused of violating the Capital Market Act, to appear as a suspect at 10 AM on the 6th of next month. 
Deputy special prosecutor Moon explained the reason for setting Mrs. Kim's summons date two weeks later, saying, "Although it was not coordinated separately, we considered that giving a schedule with some leeway would make it more likely for her to voluntarily appear."
Regarding the possibility of summoning Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, and Kim Young-sun, a former member of the People Power Party, first in connection with the so-called 'Myung Tae-gyun Gate', he said, "It cannot be ruled out."
The special prosecutor team believes that former President Yoon and his wife were involved in nominations through 'political broker' Myung Tae-gyun during the 2022 local elections and by-elections, and last year's 22nd general election. The suspicion is that Mr. Myung arranged for Kim, a former member, to be nominated in the 2022 by-election in exchange for a free public opinion poll received by former President Yoon during the 2022 presidential election process. The special prosecutor team conducted a search and seizure of about 10 places, including the offices and residences of Yoon Sang-hyun, Kim Young-sun, and former Deputy Prosecutor Kim Sang-min, on the 8th to investigate the nomination intervention allegations involving Mr. Myung and Geonjin Beopsa Jeon Seong-bae.
Additionally, the special prosecutor considers Mrs. Kim a key suspect in various allegations, including the Myung Tae-gyun Gate, Deutsche Motors stock manipulation allegations, Sambo Construction stock manipulation allegations, and the Geonjin Beopsa Gate. The special prosecutor has been speeding up the investigation, including the arrest of a Sambo Construction official, the search and seizure of the Unification Church involved in bribery allegations, and the summoning of Kang Hye-kyung, to pressure Mrs. Kim. It is reported that the 'Butler Gate' is excluded from Mrs. Kim's summons investigation.
For now, Mrs. Kim's side has expressed its intention to cooperate with the investigation. Mrs. Kim's legal team emphasized, "Although we have not yet received the summons request, our basic stance of cooperating sincerely remains unchanged."
However, as former President Yoon shows a strong stance by refusing to comply with the special prosecutor team's summons investigation while in detention, it is likely that the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor team will also face difficulties in the investigation. Mrs. Kim, who was previously investigated by the prosecution at a third location, is expected to continue coordinating the investigation method during the remaining period.
The special prosecutor team is expected to summon the two to investigate △whether there was nomination intervention through Mr. Myung △whether there were nomination instructions for former member Kim and former prosecutor Kim. In particular, Mrs. Kim is expected to be questioned about △whether there was stock manipulation with Lee Jong-ho, former CEO of Black Pearl Investment △whether there was investment intervention by her butler, Kim Ye-seong, in IMS Mobility (Be My Car).
Meanwhile, the special prosecutor team is conducting a search and seizure of seven places, including the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's Development Finance Bureau, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the International Development Cooperation Committee, to investigate the allegations involving Mrs. Kim, Mr. Jeon, and the Unification Church. In addition, the special prosecutor team has launched a search and seizure of Heerim Comprehensive Architectural Office, known as 'Mrs. Kim's sponsor company'. Heerim is known as 'Mrs. Kim's sponsor company' for sponsoring exhibitions organized by Konaba Contents, operated by Mrs. Kim, three times, and was also in charge of the previous presidential residence relocation project. It is reported that the special prosecutor team is looking into the connection between Heerim and the Geonjin Beopsa-Unification Church allegations. However, the search and seizure this time did not include the allegations of Heerim's sponsorship of Konaba Contents.
Geonjin Beopsa Jeon Seong-bae is accused of receiving a diamond necklace and Chanel bag as 'gifts for Mrs. Kim' from Yoon Young-ho, the former world headquarters of the Unification Church, around April to August 2022, and delivering them to Mrs. Kim after receiving requests for church-related matters. The special prosecutor team is also conducting a second search and seizure of the Unification Church following the one on the 18th. Around June 2022, when Mr. Yoon's request was made, the government increased the limit of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) loan support for Cambodia from $700 million to $1.5 billion.

theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter