Prosecutors summon Kim Keon Hee over election interference allegations

Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office / Korea Times file

Prosecutors summoned former first lady Kim Keon Hee to appear for questioning over allegations of interference in selection of candidates for elections.

They plan to exercise “forcible” measures if she keeps refusing to comply.

According to the prosecution, Sunday, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office recently sent a written request to her to appear as a suspect next week for questioning over her alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act.

The move comes after Kim failed to respond to multiple verbal and informal requests for in-person questioning over the past several weeks.

It is alleged that Kim, together with her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, helped former People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Kim Young-sun win the nomination as the party’s candidate in a parliamentary by-election for a district in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, in June 2022 in exchange for receiving free opinion poll services from political broker Myung Tae-kyun.

She is also suspected of exercising influence to help a former prosecutor win the nomination for the Changwon electorate in last year's general elections, although the person did not get the candidacy.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and his wife Kim Keon Hee leave the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, for their private home in Seocho-dong, April 11. Courtesy of Joint Press Corps

If she responds to the summons, it would mark Kim’s first appearance at a prosecutors’ office for formal questioning. In July last year, she was questioned over separate allegations — including receiving a luxury handbag and manipulating stock prices in connection with Deutsche Motors — but that interrogation took place at an annex building under presidential security, prompting accusations of preferential treatment.

Investigators say they have already gathered substantial witness testimony and material evidence, and can no longer delay questioning Kim, who is considered a key figure in the case.

Legal experts say there is no longer any justification for Kim to avoid appearing at the prosecution office. However, she could still refuse to comply. In such a case, prosecutors are expected to issue another summons and may consider seeking an arrest warrant if she repeatedly fails to provide a legitimate reason for her absence.

While some observers speculated that the upcoming presidential election may affect the investigation’s timeline, prosecutors reportedly concluded that since Yoon was impeached, Kim no longer holds a public role and the investigation will not significantly influence the political landscape.

On April 30, the prosecution visited the former first couple's private residence in southern Seoul's Seocho-dong to search for and seize evidence related to a separate allegation that Kim received a necklace and a handbag from a religious figure. Investigators secured Kim’s mobile phone and personal notes.