On the 16th, the court issued a warrant for the arrest of Kim Ye-sung (48), known as the 'housekeeper' of Kim Keon-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
The special prosecutor's team, investigating allegations related to Mrs. Kim, noted that "today the court issued a warrant for the suspect based on concerns that they might not respond to requests from investigative authorities without just cause."
With the arrest warrant being issued, the special prosecutor's team plans to take steps to invalidate Kim's passport. Kim has been unresponsive to the team's requests since departing for Vietnam in April. Thus, the team deemed that Kim had fled and filed for the arrest warrant on the 15th.
Kim is known as an associate and housekeeper of Kim Keon-hee and her mother, Choi Eun-soon. The special prosecutor's team is investigating the circumstances surrounding a 18.4 billion won investment made by large corporations and financial firms in 2023 into Kim's rental car company, IMS Mobility (formerly Be My Car). The companies that invested include HS HYOSUNG, Kakao Mobility, Korea Securities Finance, and Kiwoom Securities.
The investing corporations faced risks as they came under criminal investigation. In this regard, allegations have arisen that Kim was expected to resolve these risks by leveraging her connections with Mrs. Kim. Kim's company was also named as an investor in the exhibition planning company operated by Mrs. Kim, Kobana Contents.
Kim is reported to have met Mrs. Kim while attending the Business School of Seoul National University in 2010. Kim served as an auditor for Kobana Contents from 2012 to 2015.