The special prosecutor's office stated that "Jo Hyun-sang, vice chairman of HS HYOSUNG, will appear as a witness for questioning on the morning of the 21st." The special prosecutor's office had summoned Vice Chairman Jo to appear on the 17th in relation to the so-called 'butler gate,' but Jo reportedly said he would appear on the 21st due to a scheduled business trip to Vietnam.

Cho Hyun-sang, Chairman of the KORCHAM Korea-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Committee (Vice Chairman of Hyosung Group), is giving a keynote speech at the Korea-Vietnam Business Forum held at the Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, in July last year. / Courtesy of News1

The special prosecutor's office is investigating the circumstances under which 18.4 billion won was invested in IMS Mobility (formerly Be My Car), a rental car company linked to Kim Ye-seong, who was referred to as a close associate and butler of Kim Keon-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol. The companies that invested include subsidiaries of HS HYOSUNG, Kakao, Korea Securities Finance, and Kiwoom Securities.

In connection with this, the special prosecutor's office notified Jo and Kim Beom-soo, the founder of Kakao and head of the Future Initiative Center, Kim Ik-rae, former chairman of DaouKiwoom Group, and Yoon Chang-ho, former president of Korea Securities Finance, to appear as witnesses for questioning on the morning of the 17th, the day before.

At the time of the investment, the corporations were under criminal investigation and faced legal risks. In this context, it has been alleged that Kim expected to resolve the risks using his relationship with Kim Keon-hee and thus invested. Kim's company was also listed as an investor in the exhibition planning firm Kobana Contents, run by Kim Keon-hee.

Kim is reported to have met Kim Keon-hee while attending Seoul National University's Graduate School of Business in 2010. He served as an auditor for Kobana Contents from 2012 to 2015. Kim is the individual who provided a false account balance certificate to a financial institution when Kim Keon-hee's mother, Choi Eun-soon, purchased real estate under a borrowed name in 2013. He was indicted in connection with this incident and received a six-month prison sentence with a two-year probation.

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