The prosecution has notified Kim Geon-hee to appear for questioning amid growing evidence of involvement in candidate nominations.
The prosecution, which is investigating the allegations of candidate nomination interference by former President Yoon Seok-yeol and his spouse, has confirmed that it has requested Kim Geon-hee to appear for questioning.
According to legal circles on the 7th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office's dedicated investigation team led by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Ji-hyung recently requested Kim Geon-hee’s attendance, stating that "a face-to-face investigation related to the allegations of candidate nomination interference is necessary." The notification was made verbally on two occasions, prior to the Constitutional Court's ruling on the impeachment trial of former President Yoon on the 4th.
Kim Geon-hee is currently under investigation by the prosecution for allegations of violating the Public Official Election Act and the Political Fund Act.
Kim Geon-hee is suspected of receiving a total of 81 opinion polls free of charge from Myung Tae-kyun during the 20th presidential election process. The prosecution suspects that Kim Geon-hee was involved in the candidate nomination process for former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Yeong-seon during the June 2022 by-election.
"Kim Sang-min's uncontested nomination is good, but the strategy is a primary election."
The investigation team captured indications on Myung's phone and USB, referred to as the 'golden phone', where Kim Geon-hee allegedly said, "The nominee just called," and "Don't worry, it will be fine." The prosecution interprets this as evidence of substantial interference in the nomination process.
The prosecution has also secured evidence that Kim Geon-hee directly requested the nomination of former prosecutor Kim Sang-min from Myung. When Myung sent a message via Telegram stating, "Former lawmaker Kim has no ties to Gimhae, so a primary election would be difficult," Kim Geon-hee allegedly responded, "It would be good to give an uncontested nomination, but the basic strategy is a primary election."
At that time, Kim Yeong-seon's side announced that he had decided to change his candidacy from Changwon Uichang to Gimhae Gap that night. Subsequently, during the process of nominations for the general election, Kim Yeong-seon was cut off (excluded from nomination) and also lost his eligibility as a candidate for the People Power Party.
"A proposal to make him a minister if elected"
Myung’s side claims that at the beginning of last year, ahead of the general elections, Kim Geon-hee stated, "Please help Kim Sang-min become a member of the National Assembly for Changwon Uichang." They also stated that a proposal was made to receive "a ministerial or public enterprise president position after the election" if they helped Kim Sang-min win.
At that time, Kim Sang-min declared his candidacy for the general election while still serving as a prosecutor, which sparked controversy. He later received a three-month suspension from the Ministry of Justice before resigning and registering as a candidate for the People Power Party.
The prosecution considers Myung’s phone and the computer seized from Kang Hye-gyeong (48) as key evidence in this case. These storage devices contained approximately 280 captured files of Telegram and KakaoTalk messages exchanged between former President Yoon and Myung from June 2021 to April 2023.
The messages included indications that Kim Geon-hee received sensitive advice from Myung regarding Southeast Asian diplomatic policy after the presidential election. The prosecution plans to begin investigating former President Yoon as soon as the investigation of Kim Geon-hee is completed.
Image source: Kim Geon-hee / Photo = Provided by the President's Office, Myung Tae-kyun / News1
