Influencer Yang Jeong-won, 37, who is suspected of using her husband to provide entertainment to police to bury a fraud case against her, appeared before police on the 29th as a suspect.
Yang arrived at the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul at about 12:30 p.m. that day. When reporters asked, "What do you think about the suspicion that your husband solicited favors to quash the investigation?", Yang said, "I will make sure to clarify the parts that are unfair, and I hope the truth will be fully revealed."
In 2024, Yang was sued multiple times on charges including fraud by franchise owners of a Pilates academy for which she served as an advertising model. Yang says she did not know the specifics of the business, while the complainants claim Yang was actively involved in running the Pilates academy and was implicated in illegal acts.
The case broadened into the so-called "investigation-quashing suspicion" as the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office probed Yang's husband, a person surnamed Lee, for alleged stock price manipulation. That is because indications emerged that Lee provided entertainment to Inspector A, who was the Head of Team of the Investigation Division 1 at the Gangnam station, and asked for the investigation into Yang to be quashed.
Prosecutors are currently investigating Lee under detention. Police officers involved, including Inspector A, have been removed from their posts or are under internal inspection.