Kim Keon-hee appeared for her second special counsel investigation on the 18th after being detained. On that day, Jeon Seong-bae, known as a fortune teller, made his first appearance before the special counsel. Kim Yae-sung, a close aide and 'butler' to Kim, was also summoned for the first time since her detention.
Kim arrived at the special counsel office located at the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, around 9:40 a.m. aboard a Ministry of Justice transport vehicle.
Earlier, Kim was detained on the 12th on charges of violating the Capital Market Act and others. The special counsel first summoned her after her detention on the 14th to question her regarding allegations of involvement in the nomination process; however, Kim largely exercised her right to remain silent. Excluding breaks, the investigation lasted only 2 hours and 9 minutes.
The special counsel is investigating allegations related to Kim, including accusations of her involvement in share price manipulation at Deutsch Motors, interference in the 2022 and 2024 elections, bribery requests through the fortune teller, and allegations regarding a luxury necklace during overseas trips.
Kim is currently imprisoned at the Seoul Southern Detention Center. Her inmate number is reported as 4398. Typically, suspects issued with arrest warrants by the Seoul Central District Court are sent to the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. However, former President Yoon Suk-yeol is currently imprisoned there. Therefore, the detention center requested to 'transfer Kim to another detention center,' which the court accepted.
Around 9:50 a.m. on that day, Jeon also appeared before the special counsel. This was Jeon's first appearance before the special counsel. The special counsel believes that between April and August 2022, Jeon received requests for support for Cambodia's Mekong River development project (ODA), hosting the United Nations' 5th office in South Korea, assisting with the acquisition of YTN, supporting 'Saemaul Undong' exports to Africa, and inviting former President Yoon to the ceremony.
In this regard, the special counsel is investigating allegations that Jeon delivered a necklace worth 60 million won and two Chanel bags worth 10 million won each to Kim Keon-hee upon requests from Yoon Young-ho, the former head of the Unification Church.
However, during the earlier investigation by prosecutors, Jeon claimed that while he received these items, he lost them all. Kim stated during the special counsel questioning on the 6th that she had not received any necklace or bags from Jeon.
Additionally, Jeon is being accused of having solicited nominations for the mayor of Bonghwa County in Gyeongbuk from Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, during the 2022 local elections. There are also allegations that Jeon and the former head of the Unification Church tried to recruit a large number of believers into the People Power Party before the January 2023 convention to make Kweon the party leader.
Kim also made her first appearance on the same day after her detention on the 15th. She arrived at the special counsel around 9:30 a.m. aboard a Ministry of Justice transport vehicle.
The special counsel refers to the allegations against Kim as the 'butler gate.' This term indicates suspicion that large corporations made solicited investments in Kim's company, which is known as Kim's family butler. The company IMS Mobility, in which Kim was involved, has posted continuous deficits since its establishment in 2013. In June 2023, nine companies, including Kakao Mobility, HS HYOSUNG, Shinhan Bank, and Kiwoom Securities, invested 18.4 billion won in this company through funds.
At the time of investment, the corporations were facing legal risks due to ongoing investigations. Allegations have arisen that Kim utilized her connections with Kim Keon-hee to resolve these risks, which motivated the investments.
Meanwhile, the special counsel plans to summon Lee Jong-ho, the former CEO of Black Pearl Invest, at 10 a.m. on the 19th. Lee is known to have managed Kim's Deutsch Motors stock account. Previously, the special counsel sought an arrest warrant for Lee after summoning him for questioning three times on charges of violating attorney laws. On the 5th, Chief Judge Nam Se-jin issued the warrant, stating there was concern about evidence destruction.