Former President Yoon Suk-yeol's wife, Kim Keon-hee, appeared for her ninth special counsel questioning on the morning of the 11th. In front of the Gwanghwamun KT Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where special counsel Min Joong-ki's team has its office, a "rally supporting the first lady" was held. Organizers told police they expected 3,000 people, but only 10 attended.
About 20 condolence wreaths were placed nearby, and banners with phrases such as "Lee Jae-myung murderous regime, step down" and "Disband the murderous special counsel" were hung.
At the scene, a rally participant used broadcast equipment and profanity while saying, "Why isn't Jeon Jae-soo being investigated?" and "Why aren't the 15 people in the Lee Jae-myung administration being investigated?" This appeared to allege a "biased investigation" by the special counsel team over suspicions that the Unification Church lobbied Kim, the People Power Party, and also the Democratic Party of Korea.
A woman in her 50s waved a Taegeukgi and held a yellow placard reading "First lady Kim Keon-hee, fighting." A man and a YouTuber wearing hats with the phrase "STOP THE STEAL" appeared.
Police parked five buses near the KT building as a precaution, but there were no notable clashes. They only asked that the broadcast volume be adjusted to meet rally and protest guidelines.
Around 9:45 a.m., Kim entered the underground parking lot while aboard a transport vehicle. By 10 a.m., the number of rally participants had dropped to three.
The special counsel team plans to question Kim on allegations including preferential treatment in the transfer of the presidential residence, a party aboard a Navy command ship, and a tea meeting at Jongmyo. Given that the special counsel's investigation deadline is the 28th, this is likely to be the last face-to-face questioning.
On Aug. 29, Kim was indicted and detained on charges related to Deutsch Motors stock manipulation (violation of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act), meddling in candidate nominations by Myeong Tae-gyun (violation of the Political Funds Act), and influence peddling involving Geonjin and the Unification Church (bribe brokerage under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes), and she is awaiting a first-instance verdict on Jan. 28. At the sentencing hearing on the 3rd, the special counsel sought a total of 15 years in prison, a fine of 2 billion won, and a forfeiture of about 948 million won for Kim.