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Ex-first lady and other key figures in 'butler gate' investment scandal to be questioned

Published: 23 Jul. 2025, 19:21

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee is seen at a voting center in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on June 3. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee’s legal team requested a meeting with the special counsel team to discuss how she will be questioned — a request the office flatly rejected.

“We received notice from Kim’s attorney, who asked to visit our office to discuss the method of investigation following the summons,” said deputy special counsel Moon Hong-joo in a regular briefing on Wednesday.

“We consider such coordination unnecessary. We believe it is sufficient for her to comply with the date stated in the summons.”

According to officials, the special counsel responded by saying that the notice had already been issued with enough lead time, and there was no need for further discussion.

Kim was summoned as a suspect and instructed to appear before the special counsel on Aug. 6 at 10 a.m. Former President Yoon Suk Yeol has been summoned for questioning on July 29.

Regarding Cho Hyun-sang, vice chairman of HS Hyosung — one of the companies implicated in the so-called “butler gate” investment scandal — Moon said Cho’s legal team notified the special counsel that he would return to Korea on July 31 and appear for questioning on Aug. 1.

Cho had been scheduled to appear on July 21 but failed to do so, citing an overseas business trip.

The spouse of Kim Ye-seong, who is known as the “butler” of Kim Keon Hee's family, walks into the special counsel investigation office in Jongno District, central Seoul, on July 23. [YONHAP]

The special counsel team also summoned on Wednesday the spouse of Kim Ye-seong — known as the “butler” of the Kim Keon Hee family — for questioning.

The spouse, a woman surnamed Jeong, is listed as an internal director at InnoBest Korea, a company that allegedly held shares in IMS Mobility under Kim Ye-seong’s borrowed name.

The special counsel is expected to question Jeong about her involvement in the process by which Kim Ye-seong sold IMS Mobility shares — specifically the 4.6 billion won ($3.3 million) transaction that followed major investments in the company.

Kim Ye-seong, who left for Vietnam in April, is currently staying in Ho Chi Minh City with his children. Jeong also attempted to fly there earlier this month but was barred from departure due to a travel ban.

"My kids will be enrolled in an international school in Vietnam. They need to be accompanied by at least one parent," Jeong reportedly said during questioning on Wednesday. Lifting Jeong's travel ban could open up the possibility of Kim Ye-seong returning to Korea to be investigated.

The special counsel has identified InnoBest Korea, where Jeong served as an internal director, as a company effectively controlled by Kim Ye-seong. Though its registered CEO is a man surnamed Yoon, who is acquainted with Kim Ye-seong, investigators believe that Kim Ye-seong handled everything from founding the firm to managing its operations.

Kim Ye-seong allegedly transferred his IMS Mobility shares to InnoBest Korea to conceal his involvement, registering Yoon as CEO to stay in the shadows.

In 2023, major firms including Kakao Mobility and HS Hyosung invested a total of 18.4 billion won in IMS Mobility. Of that, 4.6 billion won was used to purchase shares owned by InnoBest Korea.

The special counsel is examining whether the shares were in fact held under Kim Ye-seong's name on behalf of the former first lady and whether any proceeds from the sale flowed to either Kim Keon Hee or her family.

Regarding this, Kim Ye-seong's side said, "No money was returned to Kim Keon Hee," adding, "We have not even contacted her since the trial of Kim Keon Hee's mother, Choi Eun-soon, for forging a bank statement."

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JUNG SI-NAE, JEONG JIN-HO [[email protected]]