Ex-first lady Kim, aide and shaman all questioned on same day
Published: 18 Aug. 2025, 19:01
Updated: 18 Aug. 2025, 20:17
![From left: Former first lady Kim Keon Hee, her aide Kim Ye-sung and shaman Jeon Seong-bae [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/18/0fcc7206-b14a-46d8-9d63-477609487807.jpg)
From left: Former first lady Kim Keon Hee, her aide Kim Ye-sung and shaman Jeon Seong-bae [NEWS1]
Former first lady Kim Keon Hee underwent her second round of questioning in custody Monday, and investigators also summoned her aide Kim Ye-sung ― often described as her "butler" ― and shaman Jeon Seong-bae, bringing together three central figures in overlapping scandals.
The special counsel team is probing allegations that Kim engaged in election meddling and stock manipulation while also investigating whether corporate investments linked to her aide were exchanged for political favors.
Kim arrived at the special counsel’s office in central Seoul at 9:39 a.m. It was her second round of questioning since she was taken into custody on Aug. 12 and her third overall.
Investigators plan to wrap up their probe into allegations that businessman Myung Tae-kyun provided polling data worth 274.4 million won ($198,000) in exchange for securing a nomination for former lawmaker Kim Young-sun.
The special counsel also intends to complete questioning on allegations of stock manipulation involving Deutsch Motors and influence-peddling allegations involving Jeon.
Prosecutors included these three charges in their request for her detention and aim to file their first indictment after supplementing the case with additional testimony.
During her previous session, Kim Keon Hee only explained how she came to know Myung before invoking her right to remain silent. She was expected to remain silent again Monday, as she did at her first post-detention questioning.
But she has reportedly said that she would "not refuse to appear, unlike former President Yoon Suk Yeol," saying she will attend hearings but continue to exercise her right to silence.
Her aide Kim Ye-sung, often referred to as her “butler,” also appeared at the office at 9:30 a.m. for his first interrogation since being detained on Aug. 15.
![Kim Ye-sung, known as a "butler" of former first lady Kim Keon Hee's family, appears at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Aug. 15 for a detention hearing. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/18/cdbf1c08-6108-43a9-a1c6-dbca5039763f.jpg)
Kim Ye-sung, known as a "butler" of former first lady Kim Keon Hee's family, appears at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Aug. 15 for a detention hearing. [NEWS1]
Kim Ye-sung returned from Vietnam on Tuesday and has been under investigation on suspicion of embezzling 3.38 billion won in company funds.
A Seoul court ordered him detained after finding substantial evidence to support the allegation, and investigators are now turning their attention to 18.4 billion won in investments received by IMS Mobility in 2023. The special counsel suspects that corporations invested in IMS Mobility not for business reasons but to gain influence by leveraging their ties to first lady Kim Keon Hee.
Of the investment funds, Kim Ye-sung received 4.6 billion won through the sale of shares held under borrowed names. Investigators found that he then lent 2.43 billion won to IMS Mobility CEO Cho Young-tak.
Since 2023, companies owned by Kim Ye-sung also received more than 200 million won from IMS Mobility in the form of commissions and consulting fees.
Investigators also questioned Jeon, otherwise known as Geon Jin Beopsa, for the first time since the launch of the probe.
![Jeon Seong-bae, known as Geon Jin Beopsa, arrives at the special counsel’s office in central Seoul on Aug. 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/18/ac0b1aac-58fe-42e4-a62d-167f8f7cff6e.jpg)
Jeon Seong-bae, known as Geon Jin Beopsa, arrives at the special counsel’s office in central Seoul on Aug. 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]
They are looking into allegations that he received a Graff necklace worth about 60 million won and two Chanel handbags worth about 20 million won from Yoon Young-ho, the former head of the Unification Church World headquarters, as gifts intended for Kim Keon Hee.
Jeon told prosecutors in an earlier investigation that he did receive the items but claimed he "lost them before passing them on."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JIN-HO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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