Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Executes Search and Seizure of 'Kim-Park Sung-jae Telegram' in Insurrection Probe Amid Allegations of Investigation Interference

[Financial News] The Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team, led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, requested cooperation from the Special Prosecutor's Office for Insurrection, headed by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-seok, to secure messages related to allegations that Kim Keon Hee and former Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae attempted to quash an investigation.
On the 2nd, the Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team executed a search warrant at the office of the Special Prosecutor's Office for Insurrection, located in the Seoul High Public Prosecutors' Office. This search was conducted to facilitate the transfer of materials between the special prosecutor teams. In addition, the team began searches at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to secure further materials related to the DEUTSCH MOTORS INC. stock manipulation investigation.
It has been confirmed that the Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team listed former President Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Keon Hee, and former Minister Park Sung-jae as suspects for abuse of power in the search warrant.
This search and seizure was aimed at obtaining Telegram messages exchanged between Kim Keon Hee and Park Sung-jae.
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife are suspected of attempting to interfere with various investigations involving Kim Keon Hee through former Minister Park Sung-jae last year.
The Special Prosecutor's Office for Insurrection found that in May of last year, Kim Keon Hee sent messages to Park Sung-jae asking, 'How is my investigation progressing?' and 'Why are the investigations into (First Lady of President Lee Jae Myung) Kim Hye-kyung and (First Lady of former President Moon Jae-in) Kim Jung-sook not moving forward?' along with so-called 'rumors' related to the prosecution's investigation team. The rumors reportedly claimed that former Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok, who was asked to resign by the Office of the President of South Korea, ordered a swift investigation into Kim Keon Hee in protest, resulting in a change of leadership within the investigation team. The main allegation is that Kim Keon Hee, as investigations into allegations such as the DEUTSCH MOTORS INC. stock manipulation and luxury bag acceptance intensified, attempted to use Park Sung-jae to quash the investigations.
The Special Prosecutor's Office for Insurrection reportedly concluded that former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law to shield Kim Keon Hee from investigation, defining them as a 'political community of shared destiny.'
The Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team appears to have launched a full-scale investigation, believing that Kim Keon Hee pressured Park Sung-jae through Yoon Suk Yeol to halt the investigation. Since last month, a dedicated team has been formed to investigate allegations of delays, concealment, and obstruction related to Kim Keon Hee. The team is currently analyzing the materials obtained. Under the Special Prosecutor Act, the Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team is authorized to investigate interference, concealment, and delays by public officials in cases involving Kim Keon Hee.
To apply the charge of 'abuse of power' to Kim Keon Hee, the Special Prosecutor Team must prove that Yoon Suk Yeol was aware of and directed Park Sung-jae in advance. However, as the investigation deadline is set for the 28th, it remains uncertain whether the team will be able to clarify these allegations.
Meanwhile, from the morning of the same day, the Special Prosecutor Team summoned a section chief from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) as a suspect for questioning regarding allegations of preferential treatment in the change of the Yangpyeong Expressway’s terminus.
theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter