Prosecutors raid home of late President Roh's wife over alleged slush fund
Summary
Prosecutors raided the home of Kim Ok-suk in western Seoul on Friday over alleged slush fund-related offenses linked to late former President Roh Tae-woo. The search focused on suspected tax evasion and concealment of criminal proceeds. Civic groups had filed complaints against Kim, her daughter Roh Soh-yeong and her son Jae-heon. The alleged fund also surfaced in Roh Soh-yeong’s divorce battle with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won.
Key Facts
- Roh Tae-woo served as president from 1988 to 1993 and died in 2021.
- The complaint also named Roh Soh-yeong and Jae-heon, who is serving as South Korea's ambassador to China.
- The alleged slush fund first came to light during the divorce trial of Roh Soh-yeong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won.
- The Supreme Court confirmed the couple's divorce in October but did not rule on whether the alleged fund actually existed.
Former first lady Kim Ok-suk, center, wife of late President Roh Tae-woo, enters a memorial altar at Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul, Oct. 28, 2021. Newsis
Prosecutors on Friday raided the home of late former President Roh Tae-woo's wife over allegations her family stashed a secret fund, legal sources said.
The search and seizure took place at Kim Ok-suk's residence in western Seoul on suspicions of tax evasion and violating the law on concealment of criminal proceeds, according to the sources.
Civic groups earlier filed a complaint against the late president's wife, his daughter Soh-yeong and his son Jae-heon, who is currently serving as the country's ambassador to China, over the alleged slush fund.
Roh, who served as president from 1988-93, died in 2021.
The fund's alleged existence came to light during the divorce trial of Roh Soh-yeong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won as the two sides failed to narrow differences over the division of their property.
In Roh's argument for her contribution, she claimed that the late president had handed over 30 billion won ($21.7 million) to Chey's father, which her side argued helped propel SK Group's growth.
The Supreme Court confirmed the couple's divorce in October but did not offer a ruling on whether the alleged fund actually existed. The two sides are still locked in a legal battle over the property division.
The late president had been mired in a slush fund scandal after his presidency as he was sentenced to a forfeiture of 262.8 billion won in 1997 for stashing illegal slush funds during his presidency.
Some 240 billion won was retrieved from Roh and his family, while the remaining 23 billion won was paid in 2013 by his relatives, including his brother and former in-laws.
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