Prosecutors to Summon Kim Bong-hyun Today for Third Investigation... Focus Likely on 'Prosecutor Lobby' Probe

Former Chairman Kim Bong-hyun of Star Mobility. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The prosecution investigating the allegations of "prosecutor drinking entertainment" involving former Star Mobility Chairman Kim Bong-hyun (46, detained and indicted), which surfaced during the investigation of Lime Asset Management's suspension of redemptions case, will summon Kim to the prosecution for questioning on the 4th.

This is the first time Kim has appeared for questioning by the prosecution since his prison revelations on the 16th of last month.

The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office's special investigation team for the prosecutor entertainment and bribery case (team leader Kim Rak-hyun, head of Criminal Division 6) plans to summon Kim, who is detained at the Southern Detention Center, from 2 p.m. on the day to conduct a focused investigation into the allegations of drinking entertainment involving active prosecutors.

After exposing the "prosecutor drinking entertainment" through a prison statement, Kim had refused to comply with the prosecution's summons, stating that "it is unfair to be investigated by the prosecution regarding the prosecutor's misconduct allegations."

In response, the prosecution conducted two on-site investigations at the detention center where Kim is held on the 25th and 28th of last month.

During this process, the prosecution concentrated its investigative efforts on pinpointing the dates when the drinking entertainment took place, based on testimonies from bar employees identified as witnesses, mobile phone records, and forensic analysis results of mobile phones belonging to lawyer Lee Ju-hyung, who is suspected of arranging the entertainment, and the implicated prosecutors.

However, while the investigation team roughly identified mid-July as the period when the drinking entertainment occurred based on the bar employees' testimonies, Kim specified July 3 of last year as the date of the entertainment during his second questioning, necessitating additional investigation to ascertain the exact facts.

Meanwhile, regarding whether lawyer Lee or the prosecutors identified as targets of lobbying will be summoned for questioning, a representative from the Southern District Prosecutors' Office stated, "We cannot confirm due to public relations regulations." However, it has been confirmed that Lee has not yet been summoned for questioning by the prosecution.

The delay in summoning the key suspect appears to be because the prosecution has not yet determined the specific date of the entertainment.

The prosecution plans to specify the date of the drinking entertainment through additional questioning of Kim, gather related evidence, and then sequentially summon lawyer Lee and the prosecutors targeted for lobbying for investigation.

On the previous day, the civic group Judicial Justice Citizens' Action reported three unnamed prosecutors who received drinking entertainment from Kim to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on charges including violation of the Kim Young-ran Act, and lawyer Lee on charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Procuring Sexual Traffic.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.