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Jailed ex-first lady Kim appears for special counsel questioning for 2nd time

Published: 18 Aug. 2025, 12:52

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee walks out of the KT Gwanghwamun Building where the special counsel offices are set up after a questioning on Aug. 6. [NEWS1]

Jailed former first lady Kim Keon Hee appeared at a special counsel's office Monday to undergo questioning for the second time, less than a week after her arrest over corruption allegations.

Kim was brought to special counsel Min Joong-ki's office in central Seoul in a prison van to attend the questioning.

The wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol was placed in custody at the detention center in southwestern Seoul last week after a court issued a warrant to arrest her on charges of involvement in a stock manipulation scheme, meddling in candidate nominations for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections and 2024 general elections, and receiving luxury gifts from the Unification Church through a shaman in exchange for business favors.

During her first questioning after the arrest, held last Thursday, she largely exercised her right to remain silent, with the session only lasting about two hours.

Kim Ye-seong, known as the "butler" of the former first lady's family, also appeared for questioning by the special counsel team.

It marks the second questioning for the former first lady after her arrest last Tuesday and the first for Kim Ye-seong after a Seoul court issued his arrest warrant Friday over allegations of embezzling 3.38 billion won ($2.4 million) from IMS Mobility, a company he has a stake in.

A vehicle carrying former first lady Kim Keon Hee is entering the KT Gwanghwamun Building parking lot on Aug. 18. [WOO SANG-JO]

Min's team has been investigating allegations that IMS Mobility unfairly received 18.4 billion won in investments from several companies, including Kakao Mobility, in 2023.

Considering that IMS Mobility was effectively in a state of capital impairment at the time, special prosecutors suspect the companies made the investment in consideration of their connection to Kim and the former first lady.

They suspect that Kim funneled some of the investment into another company he effectively controlled.

The special counsel team is also looking into allegations that the embezzled funds or other profits may have possibly been funneled to the former first lady's family.

Jeon Seong-bae, the shaman also known as ″Geon Jin,″ walks into the special counsel offices in Jongno District, central Seoul on Aug. 18. [NEWS1]

Kim has denied serving as a "butler" for the former first lady's family and the former first lady's involvement in the investments in IMS Mobility.

A shaman named Jeon Seong-bae also appeared for questioning on charges of delivering a diamond necklace and Chanel bags to the former first lady on behalf of the Unification Church between April and August 2022. He allegedly delivered requests for business favors from the church along with the luxury gifts.

Jeon has denied the allegation, saying he lost the necklace and luxury bags before he could deliver them to the former first lady.

With the three key figures appearing for questioning at the same time, the special counsel team may conduct a cross-examination if their testimonies are in conflict.

Yonhap