Yoon Seok-yeol and Kim Geon-hui Couple Likely to Be Summoned for Investigation Together

Kwon Osu Arrested on Stock Manipulation Charges
Prosecutors Likely to Summon Kim over 'Jeonju' Suspicion
Corruption Investigation Office Also Focuses on Yoon-Related Probe

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Kim Gun-hee, wife of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, is expected to soon be summoned for investigation by the prosecution.

With Kwon Oh-soo, chairman of Deutsch Motors, who is accused of manipulating the company's stock price and causing damage to the company, being arrested on the 16th, the prosecution's investigation is now turning toward Kim. On the same day, the prosecution also apprehended Lee, who played the role of a 'player' in the stock price manipulation process. Lee is known to be a key figure who managed the Deutsch Motors stocks held by Kim and a securities account containing 1 billion KRW.

Kim is suspected of being the 'jeonju (錢主)'?the financier?who provided monetary support for this stock price manipulation. From December 2009 for three years, Kwon and others leaked internal company information to boost Deutsch Motors' stock price, directly purchased about 15.99 million shares (worth approximately 63.6 billion KRW), or induced customers to buy through illegal means, with Kim allegedly funding these activities. It is also suspected that Kim bought stocks at low prices and sold them at higher prices to gain profits. In political circles, there are suspicions that Kim not only financed but also planned and led the stock price manipulation.

Until now, the legal community had widely expected the prosecution to summon Kim for questioning soon, but this had not happened. The prosecution focused on other individuals excluding Kim. The arrest warrant for Chairman Kwon did not specify charges against Kim. As the prosecution is finalizing the detention of most suspects involved in the stock price manipulation, only Kim remains. It is expected that the prosecution will summon Kim after further investigation to determine the extent of her involvement. Depending on the investigation, Kim may be charged as an accomplice in the stock price manipulation.

Candidate Yoon is also under investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) over allegations including 'accusation instigation,' 'judge surveillance,' and 'obstruction of investigation into Han Myeong-sook's perjury coaching.' Depending on the situation, the prominent presidential candidate and his wife could be summoned together for questioning by investigative agencies.

The CIO is accelerating investigations into cases involving Candidate Yoon. Recently, the so-called 'accusation instigation' allegations have been set aside, with focus shifting to the 'judge surveillance document creation' and 'obstruction of investigation into former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's perjury coaching' allegations. On the 15th, the CIO raided the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Investigation Information Division, where Son Jun-sung, then the Investigation Information Policy Officer known as the author of the judge surveillance documents, worked. Regarding the 'obstruction of investigation' allegations, the investigation team requested Yoon's side to submit written statements by the end of this month. Some in the legal community interpret this as preparatory work for summoning Candidate Yoon.

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