The special investigation team stated on the 9th that Kim Mo, who is referred to as the housekeeper of Kim Keon-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, left the country in April and that plans are in place to invalidate Kim's passport. The special investigation team has also begun investigations into the circumstances surrounding significant investments made by large corporations and financial institutions in the loss-making rental car company run by Kim.

Kim is the person who directly created a false balance certificate submitted to financial institutions when Kim Keon-hee's mother, Choi Eun-soon, purchased real estate under a borrowed name. He was indicted for this incident and received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. Kim is reported to have met Kim Keon-hee while attending the Seoul National University Business School from 2010. Kim served as an auditor for Kobana Contents from 2012 to 2015.

Choi Eun-sun, the mother-in-law of Yoon Suk-yeol, who is facing allegations of forging a bank balance certificate, is being granted parole at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center in Songpa District, Seoul, on May 14, 2024. / Courtesy of News1

On this day, Special Investigation Deputy Moon Hong-joo noted in a media briefing that "during the preparation period of the special investigation team, it was investigated whether individuals who were subjects of the inquiry established rental car-related companies, received business benefits from Deutsch Motors, and received substantial amounts classified as investments from large corporations and financial companies that appear to be involved in various criminal cases and owner risks."

He continued, "In the process, we confirmed that Kim Mo, who was referred to as '(the housekeeper's) housekeeper,' left the country in April as investigations continued and has not returned since. We also confirmed that he had transferred his office and family address. We believe there is a concern about overseas flight and evidence destruction, which is why we recently began our investigation."

Kim established the rental car company BmyCar (now IMS) in 2013. That year, he reportedly utilized 50 BMWs supported by Deutsch Motors for the rental car business. A former executive of Deutsch Motors testified during the prosecution's investigation that "former Deutsch Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo mentioned that Kim Mo is a junior to the housekeeper and advised him to help Kim." Kim also served as the head of an investment company called Robust Investment, which was listed as a sponsor of Kobana Contents.

In the same year, Kim Keon-hee's mother, Choi Eun-soon, was found to have forged a total of approximately 35 billion won worth of balance certificates in four instances while purchasing land in Docheon-dong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province under a borrowed name. The individual who directly forged the balance certificates at this time was Kim. The two were indicted in 2020, and Kim received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, from the first trial in 2021. Kim did not appeal, and the sentence was finalized. Choi, after appealing, was sentenced to one year in prison by the Supreme Court in 2023.

In 2023, it was reported that large corporations and financial institutions such as Kakao Mobility, HS HYOSUNG, Korea Securities Finance, Shinhan Bank, and Kiwoom Securities invested 18.4 billion won into IMS through the Oasis Fund. Among the investment amounts, 4.6 billion won was used to purchase Kim's personal equity. At that time, IMS had accumulated losses exceeding 34 billion won.

The special investigation team reported that it had applied to the court for search warrants for Kim's companies and investors on the 7th, but the court rejected the request the previous day. The court stated that "the housekeeper gate is not a subject of investigation for the Kim Keon-hee special investigation team as per the Special Investigation Act". The Special Investigation Act specifies 16 allegations as subjects of the special investigation, and the housekeeper gate is not included.

In response, Deputy Moon stated, "This case is, in our view, subject to investigation by the Kim Keon-hee special investigation team." The Special Investigation Act allows for the investigation of incidents related to unjust gains involving Deutsch Motors, sponsorship allegations concerning exhibitions by Kobana Contents, and allegations that Kim Keon-hee exploited her presidential status for personal gain.

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