The second special counsel, which is looking into questions left after the three special counsel probes, is said to have summoned and questioned members of the prosecution's team at the time as references over allegations that an investigation involving first lady Kim Keon-hee was quashed. The special counsel is also widening the probe by continuing to question references related to insurrection allegations.
Deputy Special Counsel Kim Ji-mi said at a briefing on the 30th, "We summoned and questioned members of the investigation team from 2024," adding, "We will continue to question them sequentially going forward." The questioning reportedly took place last week.
The allegation the special counsel is currently investigating about quashing the probe into the first lady centers on the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office declining to indict the first lady without properly questioning her in connection with the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case. The first lady was suspected as an accomplice at the time.
The Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which investigated the case at the time, issued a no-suspicion decision in Oct. 2024 on the first lady's alleged violation of the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act. It concluded the first lady did not know about the price-rigging scheme and had merely entrusted account management to former Deutsch Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo, whom she trusted. The special counsel is examining whether the non-indictment decision was the result of intentionally quashing the investigation.
The special counsel is also expanding its inquiry into the insurrection allegations. Deputy Special Counsel Kim said, "Last week we summoned 23 people, including Kwon Young-hwan, martial law chief at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), as references regarding the insurrection allegations." This week, the office plans to conduct reference interviews with KTV and fire service personnel as well.
The special counsel also plans to launch an investigation into the alleged illegal investigative plan by Investigation Team 2 under the Joint Investigation Headquarters regarding National Election Commission employees during martial law. Deputy Special Counsel Kim said, "We plan to open a case on charges of forming a criminal organization over the illegal investigative plan by Investigation Team 2 under the Joint Investigation Headquarters against National Election Commission employees during the insurrection process."
Investigation Team 2 has been identified as a covert group operated by former Defense Intelligence Command chief Noh Sang-won during the martial law phase. They are said to have planned to seize control of the National Election Commission, take servers, and arrest employees on the day martial law was declared, citing alleged election fraud as justification.
The special counsel also stressed the need to bolster investigative personnel. Deputy Special Counsel Kim said, "We need to add deputy special counsels to handle the cases received from the three special counsel teams and the Korean National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation (NOI)," adding, "We recommended two candidates for deputy special counsel to the president."
There are currently four deputy special counsels appointed and active: Kwon Young-bin, Kim Jeong-min, Kim Ji-mi, and Jin Eul-jong. Under the second special counsel act, the authorized number of deputy special counsels is five.