Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor to Summon Yoon Couple This Month Over Alleged Bribery-for-Position Scandal... Investigation Accelerates in Final Stage

[Financial News] The Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team, led by Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki, plans to summon First Lady Kim Keon Hee and former President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning within this month regarding allegations of bribery-for-position.
On the 3rd, Deputy Special Prosecutor Hyung-Geun Kim stated, "In connection with the case involving the alleged acceptance of jewelry under the pretext of personnel solicitation, we will set and notify the summons dates for Mrs. Kim and former President Yoon within this month."
So far, the Special Prosecutor Team's investigation has revealed several bribery-for-position allegations involving the Yoon couple, including the 'Lee Bae-yong Gold Turtle Case,' the 'Lee Bong-gwan (SEOHEE CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD.) Jewelry Delivery Incident,' and the 'Kim Sang-min Painting Delivery Case.'
Among these allegations, the Special Prosecutor Team is currently focusing on the gold turtle delivery case involving former Chairperson Lee Bae-yong. The core of this case is the claim that Lee delivered a gold turtle and other jewelry to the Yoon couple and, in return, was appointed as Chairperson of the National Education Commission—a classic example of bribery-for-position. The position of Chairperson was newly created under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, and the Special Prosecutor Team believes the post was established specifically for Lee. During a search of a nursing home operated by Kim Keon Hee’s mother, Choi Eun-soon, in connection with the Yangpyeong Gongheung District preferential treatment allegations, investigators found both the gold turtle and a letter, prompting a full-scale investigation.
The investigation also covers suspicions that Lee Bong-gwan delivered a so-called 'NATO Tour Three-Piece Set,' including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, to Kim Keon Hee. According to Lee’s written confession, after the 2022 presidential election, he gave jewelry to Kim Keon Hee while requesting a personnel appointment for his son-in-law, former prosecutor Park Seong-geun. Park was later appointed as Chief of Staff to former Prime Minister of South Korea Han Duck-soo, who explained that the appointment was made on the recommendation of Yoon Suk Yeol. The Special Prosecutor Team is focusing on whether Kim Keon Hee was involved in recommending Park to Yoon.
Another case under investigation involves former Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Sang-min, who delivered Lee Ufan’s painting 'From Point No.800298,' valued at approximately 140 million KRW, to Kim Keon Hee’s elder brother, Kim Jin-woo. The painting was discovered during a search of Kim Jin-woo’s mother-in-law’s home. The Special Prosecutor Team suspects the artwork is a forgery and is currently searching for the original. They also believe Kim Keon Hee was involved in the overall process, as Kim Sang-min applied for a parliamentary nomination ahead of last year’s general election but was cut off and subsequently appointed as Legal Advisor to the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
In addition, the investigation includes a list of eight presidential office personnel recommended to Kim Keon Hee by Geonjin Beopsa Jeon Sungbae, as well as a list of four police officers found during the search of Choi Eun-soon’s nursing home.
Among the two, Kim Keon Hee is expected to be questioned first. The Special Prosecutor Team plans to press her on whether she recommended appointments to Yoon Suk Yeol after receiving the gold turtle from Lee Bae-yong, whether she recommended Park Seong-geun after accepting valuables from Lee Bong-gwan, and whether she was involved in the nomination and Legal Advisor appointment process after receiving the painting from Kim Sang-min.
The central issue in the 'bribery-for-position' allegations is whether Yoon Suk Yeol acted on Kim Keon Hee’s personnel requests and made the actual appointments. The Special Prosecutor Team is considering charging Kim Keon Hee under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, as well as with bribery and abuse of authority. However, under current law, the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act does not provide for punishment of public officials’ spouses for accepting valuables, and bribery and abuse of authority charges can only be applied to public officials. Therefore, proving that Yoon Suk Yeol was aware of and involved in these actions is crucial for establishing Kim Keon Hee’s culpability.
Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor Team plans to summon former Chairperson Lee Bae-yong as a witness on the 6th. As previous attempts to summon Lee have failed multiple times, the team intends to use this opportunity to thoroughly question her about the circumstances surrounding the gold turtle and other valuables that reached Kim Keon Hee.
theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter