Police step up probe into ex-first lady's clothing expense allegations

Former President Moon Jae-in, left, and former First Lady Kim Jung-sook wave toward his supporters upon arriving at his new home in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, June 7, 2022. Yonhap

Police investigating allegations of former President Moon Jae-in's wife, Kim Jung-sook, misusing taxpayer money to buy her clothes have secured all necessary data from the Presidential Archives through a monthlong raid, Park Hyun-soo, acting chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA), said Monday.

Kim is suspected of having purchased dozens of clothing items using the presidential office's special activity funds during Moon's presidency from 2017 to 2022.

The raid on the Presidential Archives in the central administrative city of Sejong was completed May 9, and police are now analyzing the seized items, Park said.

The SMPA received a search warrant for the Presidential Archives from the Seoul High Court in early April and executed the warrant April 10, according to police officials.

"The raid has been normally carried out through cooperation from the Presidential Archives," an SMPA official said. "The reason it took about a month was because it overlapped with the transfer of presidential records."