Kim Keon Hee's hospitalization sparks political row: stress or evasion?

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee / Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon

The sudden hospitalization of Kim Keon Hee, the wife of the ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol, has sparked a fierce debate.

Critics allege that she is feigning illness to avoid an ongoing investigation, while her supporters claim that the mounting legal pressure has taken a serious toll on her health.

During a party meeting on Wednesday, Rep. Seo Wang-jin, floor leader of the minor progressive Rebuilding Korea Party, criticized Kim’s hospitalization, arguing that Kim “seeks to hide behind hospital curtains to avoid the truth.”

He pointed out that prosecutors had obtained hundreds of audio files indicating that Kim was aware of, and had conspired in, a stock manipulation scheme involving Deutsch Motors. The special probe bill that promulgated last week, he said, had removed the political shield surrounding her from multiple allegations.

“Kim probably knows better than anyone that the end is near. She should receive proper treatment and cooperate fully with the investigation,” Seo said.

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has also suggested that Kim was hospitalized in order to evade investigation.

“If someone wanted to be investigated fairly, they wouldn’t end up in the hospital like this,” Rep. Park Sung-joon said on a local radio program on Tuesday. He argued that it was “a move to avoid the special probe.”

On the other hand, the conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP) defended her.

Then-opposition lawmakers hand in a bill to launch a special probe to investigate allegations against then-first lady Kim Keon Hee at the National Assembly in Seoul, April 25. Joint Press Corps

“She must have been under a lot of stress. She was once the first lady of this nation. I don’t know the full details, but it must have been painful,” Rep. Kim Dai-sik of the PPP said on a local radio program on Monday.

“If the special probe goes too far, that may cause public concern. Now is the time for cooperative politics. Ideally, the first bill from the Lee Jae Myung administration would have addressed issues such as livelihood, economy or diplomacy. Unfortunately, however, the first bill was the three major special probe bills,” he said.

After winning the snap election on June 3, the president approved and promulgated special probe bills concerning several allegations against Yoon and his wife, which Yoon had repeatedly vetoed during his term.

Then, on Monday, Kim was reportedly hospitalized at the Seoul Asan Medical Center’s psychiatric ward, reportedly suffering from “severe depression.”

According to local news outlets, she experienced hyperventilation upon admission and received treatment from the respiratory department. Her health began to deteriorate in November last year when allegations involving an influential broker, Myung Tae-kyun, surfaced. Her condition worsened further during the impeachment fiasco, causing her weight to drop below 40 kilograms.

However, the timing of her hospitalization raised eyebrows, given that investigations into Kim’s various allegations, including stock price manipulation, bribery and corruption, have been ongoing.

Min Joong-ki, special prosecutor named to lead a special probe into Kim Keon Hee, heads to his office in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

Since May, Kim has repeatedly refused to appear for questioning by the prosecution. Prosecutors issued a final summons on Monday morning, a few hours before Kim was hospitalized at 3:30 p.m.

Min Joong-ki, the former chief of the Seoul Central District Court who was appointed last week to lead a special counsel probe into Kim, stated that, although the timing of the former first lady’s in-person questioning is uncertain, it is “inevitable.”

Preparations are underway for full-scale investigations into the allegations against Kim and former President Yoon, set to begin early next month. A team of 577 investigators and officials has been assembled to probe three major scandals that plagued Yoon throughout his presidency.

“We feel a heavy sense of responsibility in taking on this role. We will uphold our mission and independence, and will not be swayed by political considerations or external pressure,” the four assistant prosecutors appointed to lead Kim’s case said in a statement on Wednesday.