The special counsel investigating Kim Keon-hee asked the Seoul Central District Court to preserve for forfeiture the Seocho-dong ACRO Vista residence of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife in connection with allegations of meddling in candidate nominations involving Myung Tae-gyun. The special counsel viewed 274.4 million won worth of free public opinion polling as criminal proceeds from a violation of the Political Funds Act and began recovery procedures.
At a briefing on the 29th, the special counsel said preservation for forfeiture is a procedure to freeze assets suspected of being obtained through crime so they cannot be disposed of before a verdict.
The special counsel applied a charge of violating the Political Funds Act, saying first lady Kim Keon-hee conspired with the former president from June 2021 to March 2022 to receive free public opinion polling from Myung 58 times. The special counsel judged that these polls were used to create a favorable mood for the former president during the People Power Party primary phase.
The special counsel concluded that after the former president was elected, Myung sought the People Power Party nomination for former lawmaker Kim Young-sun in Changwon's Uichang District, and that the former president and his wife tried to make it happen. Accordingly, viewing the value of the unlawfully provided polls as criminal proceeds, the special counsel sought preservation for forfeiture on the ACRO Vista residence and on deposits receivables.
Myung was indicted without detention on the 24th on charges of providing illegal public opinion polling.
However, the special counsel said it could not apply the bribery charge to the polling. The special counsel noted that bribery presumes the status of a public official, but at the time the polls were received, the former president was president-elect, which does not fall within the scope of a public official.
Applying the charge of accepting a bribe in advance was also reviewed but deemed inapplicable. The special counsel explained that references to an exchange for a nomination were confirmed to have occurred after the free provision of polling.
The special counsel said evidence of the former president and his wife's involvement in the nomination process emerged through the investigation and, finding additional investigation necessary including on bribery suspicions, transferred the case to the Korean National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation (NOI).