Kim Keon-hee was summoned by the special prosecution on the 14th. This is the first investigation since her arrest on the 12th.
On that day, around 8:40 a.m., Kim took a Justice Ministry transport vehicle from the Seoul Southern Detention Center and arrived at the special prosecution office located in the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, around 9:52 a.m.
The special prosecution noted in a public statement that "the investigation of Kim Keon-hee began at 9:56 a.m." and that "today (the 14th) we plan to investigate allegations of improper election interference and involvement in nominations."
Earlier, there were speculations that Kim might not attend due to declining health, but she expressed her willingness to appear before the special prosecution through the detention center the day before.
Director General Jeong Jae-wook of the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Kim on the 12th around 11:58 p.m. on charges including violations of the Capital Markets Act. He stated that there were concerns that Kim might destroy evidence.
Kim is currently detained at the Seoul Southern Detention Center. Her inmate number is reported to be 4398. Typically, defendants for whom an arrest warrant is issued by the Seoul Central District Court go to the Seoul Detention Center in Gyeonggi-do. However, former President Yoon is currently detained there. Therefore, the detention center requested to keep Kim at a different facility, and the court accepted this.
It is reported that the special prosecution's presentation of a confession from SEOHEE CONSTRUCTION during the arrest warrant review on the 12th played a decisive role in Kim's arrest. The company reportedly stated in the confession that "Kim was gifted a 'Van Cleef & Arpels' necklace worth around 60 million won that she wore during the NATO summit in June 2022, which she had purchased three months prior and then returned." SEOHEE CONSTRUCTION also admitted that "while handing over the necklace, they made a personnel request for Park Seong-geun, a former prosecutor in Gwangju, who is the son-in-law of Chairman Lee Bong-gwan." Furthermore, they submitted the genuine necklace to the special prosecution along with the confession.
The content of the confession contradicts what Kim previously stated during her special prosecution investigation. She had said, "The necklace I wore during the visit was borrowed from my brother-in-law, who got it as a gift from my mother 20 years ago from Hong Kong." The imitation piece came from her brother's mother-in-law's house. During the warrant review, it is reported that Judge Jeong asked Kim if she received the necklace. To this, Kim reportedly answered, "I didn't receive it."
The special prosecution has also reportedly raised the possibility of Kim having deliberately placed the imitation piece at the search location to create an "alibi tampering" situation. An official in the legal community noted, "This could have influenced the judgment on the requirement of 'risk of evidence destruction,' one of the criteria for issuing an arrest warrant."
Meanwhile, the special prosecution plans to summon Kim to investigate allegations of her involvement in stock manipulation related to Deutsch Motors and SAMBU Construction, allegations of interference in the 2022 and 2024 National Assembly nominations, and suspicions of bribery involving Unification Church figures through the former monk Jeon Seong-bae, commonly referred to as 'the Housekeeper Gate.' The Housekeeper Gate involves allegations that Kim's close aide and housekeeper, Kim Ye-seong, was involved in the establishment of a rental car company, IMS Mobility, which received 18.4 billion won in investment from large corporations and financial firms in 2023. Kim Ye-seong had left for Vietnam in April and returned the day before to be arrested by the special prosecution.
Additionally, the special prosecution is expected to revisit allegations regarding the precious metals worn by Kim ahead of the overseas trip in 2022 after their first investigation on the 6th.