First Public Summons of First Lady Kim Keon-hee... Also a First for Former Presidential Couples

[Financial News]  Kim Keon-hee, the first lady, stood at the media photo line as the first spouse of a president to be summoned by an investigative agency on the 6th. Kim said, "I apologize for causing concern to the public."
Kim appeared as a suspect at the office of the special prosecutor team led by Min Jung-gi, set up at KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, at 10 a.m. on the same day. 
Kim is currently under suspicion for 15 to 16 allegations, including stock manipulation of Deutsche Motors, involvement in the nomination of Myung Tae-kyun, solicitation by Geonjin Beopsa, and preferential treatment for the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway.
Considering that both the ruling party and civic groups are also claiming external pressure on the Incheon Customs drug investigation, the number of allegations may increase even without the special prosecutor team.
■First First Lady to Stand at the Photo Line
Kim is the first first lady to publicly appear as a suspect at an investigative agency. Previously, two first ladies, the late former President Chun Doo-hwan's wife, Lee Soon-ja, and the late former President Roh Moo-hyun's wife, Kwon Yang-sook, were investigated, but all were non-public.
The first first lady to be summoned for investigation by the prosecution was the late former President Chun Doo-hwan's wife, Lee Soon-ja.
Lee was investigated as a witness by the Central Investigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on May 11, 2004, in connection with the slush fund case of the late former President Chun. Lee was investigated for about 4 hours and 30 minutes from 3 p.m., and the fact of her summons was only known to the media on the night of the same day after she returned home.
Kwon's summons investigation was conducted non-publicly on April 11, 2009. The Central Investigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office summoned Kwon to the Busan District Prosecutors' Office as a witness and disclosed the fact the next day.
Former President Lee Myung-bak's wife, Kim Yoon-ok, was investigated in writing as a witness in connection with the Naegok-dong land suspicion during Lee's presidency in 2012. At that time, the special prosecutor team proposed a visit investigation to the Blue House regarding the investigation method of Kim, but it was not accepted.
Former President Roh Tae-woo's wife, Kim Ok-sook, was also suspected of being involved in the process of creating a slush fund for the late former President Roh in 1995, but the investigation did not lead to a summons.
Kim was also investigated non-publicly by the prosecution once on July 20 last year. It was the first time a first lady was summoned for investigation by the prosecution during the term of a sitting president.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which has been investigating Kim's involvement in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case and the luxury bag bribery case, investigated Kim non-publicly for about 12 hours at a building attached to the Presidential Security Service instead of the Seocho-dong Prosecutors' Office and disclosed it a day later.
At that time, the prosecution explained that it summoned Kim to a government security building within its jurisdiction for security and safety reasons, but could not avoid criticism of preferential visit investigation.
However, as the special prosecutor team targeting her directly was launched, Kim could not avoid the photo line this time.
It is also the first time that a couple, along with former President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was previously investigated by the special prosecutor, stood in front of the media's photo line.
■Starting with 'Deutsche'... Over 100 Pages of Questions
The special prosecutor team is reportedly planning to focus on the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation suspicion against Kim. Since the basic investigation has been conducted to a large extent due to the first non-indictment by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and the re-investigation by the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, the special prosecutor team is concentrating on finding key evidence and statements to overturn the non-indictment by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office based on the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office data. If the special prosecutor team concludes that Kim was aware of the stock manipulation, she becomes an accomplice.
The special prosecutor team is said to have prepared about 100 pages of questions for this purpose. Considering that Kim requested to end the investigation by 6 p.m. for health reasons, it is observed that the team is considering efficient ways such as compressing the matters to be pursued.
However, it is not certain whether the investigation will stop at 6 p.m. and Kim will be sent back. This is because the special prosecutor team could give the impression of being led by Kim's side. The special prosecutor team is still in a nerve war with former President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is resisting the execution of the arrest warrant.
The special prosecutor team is expected to summon Kim one or two more times. Since there is a deadline for the investigation set by the special prosecutor law, it is difficult for the team to indefinitely coordinate the timing of the summons investigation with Kim's side.
After summoning Kim two or three times, the special prosecutor team is expected to establish a framework for the investigation by first applying for an arrest warrant for the provable allegations. Typically, when the suspect's custody is secured, the investigation gains momentum. If this unfolds, an unprecedented situation where both former presidential couples are imprisoned could occur. However, it is reported that Kim's side is denying all allegations.theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter