Seoul: Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team on Monday accused former first lady Kim Keon Hee of illegally intervening in state affairs "behind the curtains" as it announced the final results of its investigation. The team raised the accusation against Kim -- the wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol -- in a press briefing, a day after its 180-day investigation into her corruption allegations officially concluded.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the special counsel investigation confirmed that the president's spouse engaged in the modern-day sale of public offices and illegally intervened in state affairs out of the public's sight. Assistant special counsel Kim Hyong-kun stated that Kim's involvement included her alleged participation in a stock price manipulation scheme, acceptance of free opinion polls from a self-proclaimed power broker, and receipt of luxury gifts from the Unification Church.
Since its launch in July, Min's team focused on these three key suspicions. They placed 20 people, including Kim, under custody and indicted dozens more, including Kim and her husband. Last week, Kim was additionally indicted on charges of accepting luxury gifts from businesspeople and others in exchange for government positions and her support for political nominations.
Kim is accused of receiving gifts worth 370 million won (US$258,000) for such favors, including a painting worth 140 million won, from a former prosecutor seeking support for the People Power Party's (PPP) nomination in last year's general elections. She allegedly accepted jewelry worth over 100 million won, including a Van Cleef and Arpels necklace, from the chairman of a construction company in 2022 for a government job for his son-in-law.
The team stated that they did not have enough evidence to indict the former president over the allegations but noted that his claims of being unaware of his wife's alleged acceptance of gifts were difficult to believe. The case has been transferred to the police for further investigation.
Kim also faces charges of conspiring with a former head of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, and a close associate to manipulate the company's stock price and make 810 million won in illegal profits between 2010 and 2012. She is accused of receiving free opinion polls worth 270 million won, along with her husband, from a self-proclaimed power broker ahead of the 2022 presidential election.
Assistant special counsel Oh Jeong-hee accused Kim of taking a "leading role" since Yoon's entry into politics, stating that the couple acted together as a "political union" after Yoon's election. Kim also faces charges of receiving luxury gifts worth 80 million won from the Unification Church in exchange for business favors in 2022 and alleged involvement in a scheme to mass recruit Unification Church followers for the PPP ahead of its 2023 leadership race.
Special counsel Min emphasized the significant damage to the public system of the Republic of Korea due to the abuse of authority by a president's spouse. While the investigation has ended, efforts will continue to ensure no lapses in prosecution.