Lawmakers Yoon Sang-hyun and Cho Eun-hee of the People Power Party, Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok, and others were selected as witnesses in the trial of Kim Keon-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, on charges including Deutsch Motors stock manipulation. Myung Tae-gyun, known as a political broker, Jeon Seong-bae, known as Geonjin Beopsa, and others were also selected as witnesses.
On the 26th, the 27th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Woo In-seong) held a pretrial hearing for Kim on charges of violating the Capital Markets Act, violating the Political Funds Act, and bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
Kim did not appear in court that day. A pretrial hearing is a procedure held before a full trial to confirm the positions of the defendant and the prosecution and to organize future hearing plans, and the defendant is not required to appear.
That day, the court also selected as witnesses People Power Party lawmakers Yoon Sang-hyun and Cho Eun-hee, and Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok.
The special counsel sought to call them as witnesses to clarify Kim's alleged involvement in candidate nominations, and the court accepted it. Lee was the People Power Party leader at the time of the 2022 by-elections, and Yoon was then the head of the candidate nomination committee, overseeing the party's nomination process. Cho was nominated as the candidate for Seocho A in that election, and Kim is suspected of having intervened in that process, leading to Cho's selection as a witness.
However, the court also asked the special counsel, "If these people are summoned as witnesses, will they appear in court?"
The court also selected as witnesses Kang Hye-kyung, known as the first whistleblower in the Myung Tae-gyun gate, Lee Jeong-pil, cited as the ringleader of the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation, Myung Tae-gyun, Jeon Seong-bae known as Geonjin Beopsa, and former Unification Church World Headquarters head Yoon Young-ho. The first witness examination is set for the 15th of next month, with Kang Hye-kyung and Lee Jeong-pil among those expected to appear.
The court asked the special counsel to shorten the overall witness examination time. It also asked the Southern Detention Center to coordinate so that Kim can have lunch at the court to secure as much trial time as possible.
Kim is charged with colluding with former Deutsch Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo, former Black Pearl Invest CEO Lee Jong-ho, and others from Oct. 2010 to Dec. 2012 to engage in Deutsch Motors stock manipulation and obtaining unlawful gains worth about 810 million won (violation of the Capital Markets Act).
She is also charged with colluding with the former president from Jun. 2021 to Mar. 2022 to receive, free of charge, public opinion polling worth a total of 270 million won from Myung Tae-gyun, a "political broker" (violation of the Political Funds Act).
In addition, she is charged with colluding with Jeon Seong-bae, known as Geonjin Beopsa, to receive a request related to support for the denomination from a Unification Church affiliate from Apr. to Jul. 2022 and to accept valuables, including an expensive necklace, worth a total of 80 million won (bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes).
At the first hearing that day, Kim's defense team denied all charges. The defense said, "The alleged violation of the Capital Markets Act was thoroughly investigated twice under the previous administration, and a no-charge decision was made," and added, "Kim neither conspired in nor recognized any stock manipulation." They also denied the Political Funds Act charge and the aggravated bribery charge.