On the 1st, the Kim Keon-hee special investigation team announced that it had filed for an arrest warrant for Lee Jong-ho, the former head of Black Pearl Investment. The former head is mentioned as a close aide to Ms. Kim and played a 'control tower' role in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, which is a key investigation target of the special investigation team.
On that day, Special Prosecutor Oh Jeong-hee said in a briefing in the afternoon, "We have filed for an arrest warrant against the former head on charges of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act." Earlier, the former head had been summoned for questioning by the Kim Keon-hee special investigation team three times.
The former head is suspected of receiving over 80 million won from Lee Jeong-pil, a key perpetrator of the first Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, on 25 occasions between June 2022 and February 2023, and of promising to help him receive a suspended sentence instead of a prison term in his criminal trial.
He is mentioned as a close aide to Kim Keon-hee and was indicted along with eight others, including former Deutsche Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo, on charges of involvement in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation that took place from 2009 to 2012, where a suspended prison sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court.
In this case, the former head was found to have led stock price manipulation using borrowed accounts during the operation classified as the second phase, between October 2010 and December 2012. The court judged that three accounts belonging to Ms. Kim and one account belonging to her mother, Choi Eun-soon, were used for price manipulation, and the former head was identified as the person managing Ms. Kim's accounts.
Meanwhile, the special investigation team attempted to execute an arrest warrant at the Seoul Detention Center at 8:40 a.m. on that day, where former President Yoon Suk-yeol is incarcerated. However, it was reported that the former president lay down on the floor and firmly refused arrest. Eventually, around 10:40 a.m., the execution of the arrest warrant was halted.
When asked by reporters, "Did former President Yoon look significantly unwell at the time of the arrest warrant execution?" Special Prosecutor Oh replied, "I understand there was no such indication at all."