Second Police Appearance by Dongjak District Council Member over Alleged Preferential Transfer of Kim Byung-ki’s Second Son

The Financial News has learned that police investigating various allegations involving independent lawmaker Kim Byung-ki have summoned Lee Ji-hee, vice chair of the Dongjak District Council and known as one of Kim’s closest associates, for a second round of questioning.
According to reporting by The Financial News on the 30th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Metropolitan Investigation Unit’s Public Crime Investigation Unit summoned Lee on Tuesday morning as a suspect. Investigators are questioning her over suspicions of preferential treatment in the transfer of Kim’s second son to Soongsil University.
Lee is suspected of having been involved throughout the transfer process for Kim’s second son, including searching for universities that would accept a transfer and arranging a meeting between Kim and the then president of Soongsil University. Police are also examining whether she took the lead in the practical steps to transfer the son into a contract-based department that required employment at a small and medium-sized enterprise.
Kim’s former aides are said to have told police that the son did not properly fulfill his work duties and therefore failed to meet the employment requirements for the transfer, yet his employment status was still formally recognized.
Police have obtained and are analyzing related admissions documents from Soongsil University, and on the 28th they questioned the former Soongsil University president as a witness. They also carried out a search and seizure at the small and medium-sized enterprise that hired the son and have converted the company CEO into a suspect for questioning.
Separately, Lee is also suspected of involvement in demanding or delivering money in connection with allegations that Kim and his wife received 30 million won from two former Dongjak District Council members as nomination kickbacks.
Meanwhile, on the 29th, police raided Coupang Headquarters and other locations over allegations that Kim pressured the company to impose personnel disadvantages on a former aide who had taken a job at Coupang Inc.
Police are currently conducting parallel investigations into 13 complaints involving Kim, including alleged nomination kickbacks, suspected misuse of the district council corporate credit card by his spouse and an attempt to quash a preliminary probe, alleged preferential treatment in his second son’s transfer to Soongsil University, and claims that he demanded personnel disadvantages for former aides.
425_sama@fnnews.com Reporter Choi Seung-han Reporter