The Special Prosecutor for Kim Keon-hee announced on the 21st that they notified former President Yoon Suk-yeol to appear for questioning as a suspect regarding allegations of 'violating the Public Official Election Act' on the 29th. The Special Prosecutor also notified Mrs. Kim Keon-hee to appear for questioning as a suspect on August 6 regarding allegations of 'violating the Capital Markets Act.'
At a regular briefing that day, Special Prosecutor Moon Hong-joo said, "This morning, a request for cooperation in the investigation was sent to the head of the Seoul Detention Center, asking former President Yoon to appear as a suspect at 10 a.m. on July 29 regarding allegations of 'violating the Public Official Election Act.'" He added, "A request for appearance was sent by mail to Mrs. Kim Keon-hee at her residence, asking her to appear for the investigation as a suspect on August 6 at 10 a.m. regarding allegations of 'violating the Capital Markets Act.'"
When reporters asked, 'What allegation against Mrs. Kim are you summoning her for?', Special Prosecutor Moon responded, "It's related to Deutsch Motors and SAMBU Construction (stock manipulation allegations), Gunjin Beopsa, and political broker Myung Tae-kyoon, among others." He continued, "I remember that former President Yoon is also included in the allegations related to Myung Tae-kyoon, but I will not comment on other aspects." In response to a question from reporters about whether it would be possible to conclude the investigation into Mrs. Kim on the same day, Special Prosecutor Moon stated, "It would be difficult to finish in one day."
When reporters questioned, 'Is there a reason for scheduling the appearance date two weeks later?', Special Prosecutor Moon replied, "It’s to give them ample time to accommodate their convenience in scheduling (aspects) and to keep in mind that this might encourage them to appear voluntarily."
In response to a reporter's question regarding whether former President Yoon's refusal to comply with the special prosecution's investigation into insurrection would lead to any plans for enforcement, Special Prosecutor Moon said, "I will comment on that when the time comes" and noted, "It is not appropriate to speculate on hypothetical situations." He also replied that he would only comment on plans regarding Mrs. Kim's non-compliance with the summons at that time.
Special Prosecutor Moon also revealed that they are investigating Lee Jong-ho, the former representative of Black Pearl Invest, starting from 10 a.m. today, in connection with violations of the Attorney-at-Law Act that were identified during the investigation of the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case. He stated, "We plan to conduct a second investigation within this week after today's investigation."
Former representative Lee is believed to have played a 'control tower' role in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case, which is the main target of the Special Prosecutor's investigation. The Special Prosecutor suspects that Lee was involved in several allegations, including stock manipulation of SAMBU Construction, and lobbying for the release of Im Sung-keun and Jo Byeong-no.
Special Prosecutor Moon stated, "Today, the Special Prosecutor is conducting searches and seizures at seven locations related to the 'Gunjin Beopsa' allegations, including the Unification Church and the Ministry of Economy and Finance." He explained, "The ongoing seizure at the Unification Church office involves a large volume of digital materials," and noted, "For some government agencies, such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance, it involves the execution of warrants for cooperation in submitting materials."
Additionally, Special Prosecutor Moon commented on Vice Chairman Cho Hyun-sang of HS HYOSUNG, who did not appear for the scheduled questioning related to the 'Kim Ye-sung assistant allegations.' He stated, "(The vice chairman's side) said last week that he needed to participate in an international meeting related to ABAC, a business advisory body of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and he was allowed to leave the country due to issues related to national reputation." He added, "Instead, he was expected to appear today, but the vice chairman did not show up, and he also stated that he would find it difficult to appear tomorrow."
When reporters asked, 'Are you considering issuing an arrest warrant or invalidating his passport if the vice chairman does not return to Korea?', Special Prosecutor Moon replied, "We are not considering an arrest warrant for the vice chairman" and stated, "It is difficult to see it as a definitive intention to flee, so we are monitoring the situation."
Meanwhile, starting from 10 a.m. today, the Special Prosecutor is summoning Ryoo Geung-seon, the representative of Kakao Mobility, for questioning related to the 'Kim Ye-sung assistant allegations.'
Mr. Kim is an associate of Mrs. Kim Keon-hee and her mother, Choi Eun-soon, who is referred to as the 'assistant.' The Special Prosecutor's team is investigating the circumstances of the 18.4 billion won investment by corporations in 2023 into Mr. Kim's rental car company, IMS Mobility (formerly Be My Car). Companies that invested include subsidiaries of HS HYOSUNG, Kakao Mobility, Korea Securities Finance, and Kiwoom Securities.
The investing corporations were exposed to risks as they came under investigation by the prosecution. In this regard, allegations have arisen that Mr. Kim utilized his relationship with Mrs. Kim to resolve these risks, which influenced their investments.