Prosecutors Accelerate Investigation into Yoon Seok-yeol's Family and Associates... Deliberating on Case Resolution Timing

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prosecution is reportedly deliberating on the timing of handling cases involving the family and close associates of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate and former Prosecutor General, drawing significant attention.

According to the legal community on the 30th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office has recently accelerated investigations into allegations concerning Yoon's wife, Kim Geon-hee, and a case involving Yoon Woo-jin, former Yongsan Tax Office chief and older brother of Yoon Dae-jin, head of planning at the Judicial Research and Training Institute and a close associate of Yoon.

The Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Investigation Division 2 (Chief Prosecutor Jo Ju-yeon) of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, which is handling the investigation, is examining suspicions of Kim's involvement in stock price manipulation of Deutsche Motors, preferential involvement in stock trading of Deutsche Financial, and allegations of receiving money under the guise of sponsorship funds for Cobana Contents, an exhibition planning company operated by Kim. The prosecution is said to have recently actively summoned related parties and collected evidence.

In June, the prosecution conducted a search and seizure of the Financial Supervisory Service and secured materials investigating Kwon Oh-soo, chairman of Deutsche Motors in 2013, for violating disclosure obligations related to shareholding. Last month, they obtained and are analyzing stock trading records of Deutsche Motors around 2010 from six securities firms.

It is reported that once the analysis of this evidence is complete, the prosecution plans to summon Kim directly for questioning soon.

The investigation into the case involving former Tax Office chief Yoon Woo-jin is also a point of interest. Yoon Woo-jin is the older brother of Yoon Dae-jin, head of planning at the Judicial Research and Training Institute and known as a close associate of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol.

Yoon Woo-jin was investigated by the police around 2012 on charges of receiving money and golf expenses from a meat importer named Kim. During the police investigation, he left the country, was arrested overseas, forcibly repatriated, but was cleared of charges by the prosecution in 2015.

During this process, allegations arose that Yoon Seok-yeol, then head of the Central Investigation Division 1 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, introduced lawyer Lee Nam-seok, a former member of the Central Investigation Department, to Yoon Woo-jin. The Criminal Division 13 (Chief Prosecutor Lim Dae-hyuk) has been investigating this for two years.

Recently, a petition was filed claiming that Yoon Woo-jin received money from 'sponsor' businessmen and introduced legal and tax authorities officials, prompting the Anti-Corruption and Strong Crime Investigation Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Jeong Yong-hwan) to join the investigation.

Within the legal community, it is widely believed that the prosecution is likely to conclude investigations related to Yoon before the People Power Party, to which Yoon belongs, finalizes its presidential candidate selection.

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