The Time for the Presidential Election Has Passed, but the Time for Investigation Is Just Beginning

Yoon's Mother-in-Law and Wife, Lee's Wife and Children
Over 20 Cases Directly or Indirectly Related
Prosecutors, Police, and Corruption Investigation Office All Accelerate Investigations

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is having tea time with Ahn Cheol-soo, the chairman of the transition committee, at the president-elect's office set up at the Financial Supervisory Service Training Institute in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 14th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers.

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Cho, Kyungjun Heo] The 20th presidential election concluded with the birth of the ‘Yoon Seok-yeol administration,’ but investigations and trials involving the two major party presidential candidates are still ongoing. There are about 20 cases in which President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol and former Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung are directly or indirectly mentioned. Investigative authorities are expected to accelerate investigations into various allegations related to the ruling and opposition presidential candidates. Previously, authorities stated, "Investigations that could affect the election will be concentrated after the election." With conditions now in place to ease the burden, it is anticipated that investigations will intensify. However, since President-elect Yoon is set to enter the Blue House in May, most investigations are expected to conclude before his inauguration.

◆President-elect Yoon’s investigations mostly controlled by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) = Investigations related to President-elect Yoon are primarily in the hands of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO). The CIO is investigating allegations involving Yoon such as ▲the accusation of instigating complaints ▲the creation of documents spying on judges ▲the alleged inadequate investigation of the Optimus Fund fraud case. Despite conducting investigations for over six months on these cases, no significant progress has been made. Cases involving Yoon’s spouse, Kim Geon-hee, are being handled separately by the prosecution and police. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office is investigating allegations including stock price manipulation of Deutsche Motors and large corporation sponsorships of Kobana Contents. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is examining suspicions of forgery and use of forged documents related to Dochon-dong in Seongnam, as well as false academic and career credentials. So far, no clear evidence of guilt has been found against Kim, leading to analyses that there will be little damage to President-elect Yoon.

Trials related to Yoon’s mother-in-law, Choi, are ongoing. The Uijeongbu District Court and the Supreme Court are reviewing ▲the forged bank balance certificate case and ▲the fraudulent receipt of nursing care benefits case, respectively. In the forged bank balance certificate case, Choi was sentenced to one year in prison in the first trial and is currently appealing. The trial involves a truth contest between Choi and her business partner over the forgery, making it difficult to predict the outcome. In the fraudulent nursing care benefits case, Choi was sentenced to three years in prison in the first trial, but the recent appeal overturned the verdict to not guilty, making it hard to anticipate the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate who lost the presidential election, is leaving the party headquarters after attending the disbandment ceremony of the campaign committee held at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 10th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

◆Lee Jae-myung and his wife under investigation by Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency = Former candidate Lee Jae-myung faces multiple cases, including allegations related to the Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong development projects. Most of these cases are handled by the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency. Existing investigations include allegations of lobbying in the Seongnam City Council related to Daejang-dong, preferential apartment sales in Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong project suspicions, and last month’s receipt of a case involving the Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH) dormitory’s secret camp. Regarding the Seongnam FC sponsorship fund allegations, the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency dispatched three members from the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit to the Seongnam Bundang Police Station to begin a full-scale investigation.

Cases involving Lee’s wife, Kim Hye-kyung, are also under investigation by the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency. These include allegations of hiring her personal secretary, misuse of corporate credit cards, and the ‘Hyekyunggung Kim’ Twitter account controversy. Allegations of illegal gambling and prostitution involving their eldest son, Dong-ho, are also being handled by the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency. Choi Seung-ryeol, head of the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency, stated, "Whether it is President-elect Yoon or former candidate Lee, we will conduct investigations calmly," adding, "We will organize the cases neatly so that the investigation results are not overturned after being sent to the prosecution."

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