Former National Education Commission Chairperson Lee Bae-yong appeared before the special counsel investigating Kim Keon-hee on the 6th as a reference witness in connection with the alleged gift of a gold turtle.
Lee arrived at the special counsel's office, located in the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, at about 9:30 a.m. on the day. Lee took a wheelchair down to the underground parking lot and moved to the interrogation room. Lee wore a mask and a dark navy coat. Lee did not answer questions from reporters, including "What was the reason for delivering the gold turtle?"
Earlier, Lee was asked by the special counsel to appear on the 13th and 20th of last month. However, citing health reasons including surgery due to an ankle fracture, Lee failed to appear both times.
Lee is suspected of handing over a gold turtle and other items to people around first lady Kim Keon-hee early in the Yoon Suk-yeol administration to seek an introduction.
The special counsel suspects that in March 2022, right after the presidential election, Lee gave Kim a five-don gold turtle and a congratulatory card as a celebration of the victory. In September that year, Lee was appointed the inaugural Chairperson of the National Education Commission, launched under the Yoon Suk-yeol government.
The special counsel also plans to investigate whether Lee, while serving as National Education Commission Chairperson, gave Kim a replica of "Sehando," a representative work by late Joseon-era literatus Chusa Kim Jeong-hui. In the questioning that day, the special counsel plans to confirm whether the piece was delivered as a token of thanks for the appointment as National Education Commission Chairperson.
Around Oct. 2023, on a day when the palace was closed to the public, Lee accompanied Kim during a visit to Gyeonghoeru at Gyeongbok Palace. Along with the fact that last September Kim held a "tea meeting" with outsiders at Mangmyoru in Jongmyo, which is not open to the general public, allegations arose that cultural heritage sites were used for private purposes.