Police clear singer's wife of allegations

By Kim Bo-eun

Police cleared the late singer Kim Kwang-seok’s wife Seoh Hai-soon of allegations that she caused the death of her

Seoh Hai-soon

daughter and committed fraud, Friday.

Kim’s older brother Kwang-bok filed a complaint against Seoh with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in September, claiming Seoh had caused her ill daughter to die by neglecting her, in order to claim the copyrights of her deceased husband.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it forwarded the case to the prosecution, offering a non-indictment opinion.

Seoh faced allegations of causing her daughter Kim Seo-yeon's death in December 2007 by not getting her proper treatment when she developed acute pneumonia.

She also faced allegations of fraud. At the time of her daughter’s death, a suit was ongoing on Kim's copyright materials. However, Seoh did not report the death to the court, which brought about the allegation that she did so to earn an advantageous position in the suit.

Police summoned Kim’s brother twice and Seoh three times for questioning. Police also questioned 47 witnesses including former MBC journalist Lee Sang-ho, who raised allegations against Seoh in a documentary released in August; as well as ambulance paramedics who took Kim’s daughter to hospital and the doctor who treated her there.

Police confirmed that Seo-yeon showed symptoms of a cold days before her death, and that Seoh took her to the hospital, where the doctor diagnosed her with a cold.

Police also confirmed Seo-yeon suffered Kabuki syndrome, a rare disorder involving intellectual disability and developmental delay that weakened her immune system.

Based on testimony that Seoh took emergency measures such as CPR, that autopsy results showed lung illness as the cause of Seo-yeon’s death and that only cold medicine components were found in her blood, police concluded that Seoh did not neglect her daughter.

While the late Kim was alive, he handed all rights regarding the copyrights of his music to his father. After Kim died, Seoh attempted to claim the rights, but Kim’s father said that he would hand the rights to Seo-yeon upon his death.

In 2004, Kim’s older brother and mother filed a suit over intellectual property rights against Seoh. The top court in 2008 ruled that all rights belong to Seo-yeon.

A retrial was ordered for the Seoul High Court, in which the parties agreed for Seo-yeon to assume all rights.

Kim’s brother claimed the consensus was reached because he and his mother were not aware of Seo-yeon’s death.

However, police said Seoh was not obligated to notify the court of Seo-yeon’s death during the trial.

Seoh is reportedly seeking to file a suit against Kim’s brother and reporter Lee on charges of false accusations and defamation.

Kim was a legendary singer, who died in 1996 in what was concluded to be a suicide.