Roh Soh-yeong to Face Prosecutors for Third Questioning; Past Allegations of Smuggling $200,000 and Receiving Diamonds Revisited

[Financial News] Roh Soh-yeong, the eldest daughter of the late former President Roh Tae-woo and director of Art Center Nabi, is expected to face questioning by prosecutors again, nearly 30 years later. As prosecutors track the flow of the Roh family’s alleged slush funds based on the so-called “Kim Ok-suk memo,” the source of the $200,000 Roh previously brought into the United States is also being revisited.
According to legal sources on the 20th, the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office recently notified Roh Soh-yeong that she should appear for questioning as a witness and is coordinating a specific date with her.
Prosecutors are expected to examine how the “Kim Ok-suk memo,” which Roh Soh-yeong submitted as evidence during her 2024 divorce appeal against Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, was written and what the funds listed in it represented. The memo is reportedly believed to contain financial details written by Kim Ok-suk, the wife of former President Roh Tae-woo, in 1998–1999.
In connection with the case, prosecutors searched and seized items last month on the 21st at Kim Ok-suk’s residence in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, as well as the East Asia Culture Center and the Roh Tae-woo Center. The East Asia Culture Center is headed by Roh Jae-heon, the former president’s son and South Korea’s ambassador to China.

If Roh Soh-yeong is questioned, it will be the third time she has undergone prosecutorial questioning. One of the two previous investigations was conducted to determine the source of the $200,000 she brought into the United States without declaring it in 1990.
Roh Soh-yeong was indicted in the United States for bringing $200,000 into the country without declaring it to customs in February 1990, while studying at Stanford University. At the time, South Korean media reported that a local U.S. prosecutor had said of the money’s source, "It was certainly black money from South Korea’s political circles." The case was resolved when a local court ordered the forfeiture of the $200,000.
Although the specific circumstances surrounding the creation of the funds and the nature of the Swiss account were never clearly established, Roh Soh-yeong explained during a South Korean prosecutorial investigation in August 1994 that the $200,000 consisted of wedding gifts and other money. During questioning by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of the Republic of Korea (SPO) in December 1995, she reportedly stated that she had only received the money from her father for living expenses and knew nothing about the Swiss account.
Roh Soh-yeong also came under prosecutorial investigation in 1996 in connection with allegations that former Defense Minister Lee Yang-ho had accepted bribes. The allegation was that Lee had given Roh a high-end diamond ring and necklace worth about 36 million won in August 1992 in exchange for a personnel favor.
Roh Soh-yeong’s side explained that Lee’s wife had also been present and that the jewelry was returned two days after it was received. Taking these circumstances into account, the investigation unit at the time closed its preliminary inquiry into the allegations.

The “Kim Ok-suk memo,” which Roh Soh-yeong personally disclosed during the divorce trial, is seen as having reignited allegations that had appeared to be headed for closure. Roh submitted the memo to the court to support her claim that funds from former President Roh Tae-woo’s side had contributed to the growth of SK Group.
The release of the memo revived allegations that the Roh family had managed large slush funds under borrowed names, in addition to criminal restitution owed to the state but left unpaid.
Allegations have also emerged that Kim Ok-suk paid a total of 21 billion won in insurance premiums under borrowed names in 2000–2001, when 88.4 billion won in criminal restitution owed by former President Roh Tae-woo remained unpaid, and donated 15.2 billion won to the East Asia Culture Center, headed by Ambassador Roh.
The May 18 Memorial Foundation and others filed a complaint with prosecutors in October 2024, alleging that Kim Ok-suk, Ambassador Roh, Roh Soh-yeong and other members of the Roh family had concealed slush funds and evaded taxes.
Sources inside and outside the prosecution service expect the questioning of Roh Soh-yeong to become a turning point in determining how the Roh family’s alleged slush funds were created and managed. Attention is also focused on whether the funds listed in the “Kim Ok-suk memo” are connected to the $200,000 previously brought into the United States.
A legal source said, "The source of the funds, which remained unresolved even after two investigations more than 30 years ago, is once again attracting attention," and added, "We will have to see whether the slush-fund allegations can be clarified again through this investigation."
[email protected] Kim Hak-jae Reporter