"Under Review"... Is the Corruption Investigation Office Gaining Momentum in the 'Kim Geon-hee Investigation'?

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] As demands for an investigation into First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, surge, attention is focusing on the actions of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (HCIA).

According to political and legal circles on the 30th, the top members of the Democratic Party of Korea urged swift investigations by the prosecution and police into the First Lady during a committee meeting held at the National Assembly the previous day. Jang Kyung-tae, a top member, also stated, "A special prosecution law for Kim Keon-hee is necessary." The Democratic Party, reorganized after electing party leader Lee Jae-myung, is expected to continue demanding a special prosecution investigation into the First Lady. Among the public, voices are growing louder calling for a thorough investigation into the various allegations against her. The prosecution and police are, in effect, in a state of 'business suspension' regarding the allegations related to the First Lady.

Meanwhile, there is considerable analysis within legal circles predicting that the HCIA may take the lead in the investigation. It is reported that the HCIA is internally reviewing whether to investigate allegations related to President Yoon's in-laws. In particular, they are focusing on the suspicion of the First Lady's 'private hiring' at the Presidential Office. The allegation is that the First Lady hired two employees from Kobana Contents, which she previously operated, and Kim, a classmate from a graduate school executive program, all of whom have personal connections, as staff at the Presidential Office. Related to this, the civic group Judicial Justice Citizens' Action reported the First Lady, President Yoon, and Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, to the HCIA on the 20th of last month on charges including abuse of authority and obstruction of exercise of rights. Regarding this, HCIA Chief Kim Jin-wook said on the morning of the 26th, "We need to review the law and verify the facts before the HCIA can start a full-scale investigation," and about the possibility of summoning the First Lady, he said, "If necessary, it will be done according to procedure. I am speaking in general terms."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The case has been assigned to Investigation Division 1 (acting chief prosecutor Lee Dae-hwan), but legal circles believe that Prosecutor Cha Jeong-hyun of Investigation Division 2 (age 44, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 36) will have considerable influence on the investigation. Prosecutor Cha worked as the head of the Special Inspection Division at the Office of the Special Inspector from July 2015 to April 2018 and is said to have a keen eye for cases involving misconduct by the president's relatives. He also served as acting Special Inspector in August 2016.

However, if the HCIA investigates the president's family, the law stipulates that it is limited to "crimes committed in relation to the duties of high-ranking officials," so it must be examined whether the facts of this case fall within the scope of investigation defined by the HCIA Act. How this is judged is expected to be the key to the investigation.

If the allegations against the First Lady can be clarified, the HCIA can prove its 'reason for existence' and find a breakthrough. Since the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, the HCIA has been at a crossroads regarding its survival. The government is considering deleting Article 24 of the HCIA Act, which grants the HCIA priority investigation rights over corruption cases involving high-ranking officials. Amid this, the HCIA recently unveiled a new symbolic CI (Corporate Identity) and pledged reform. At the CI unveiling ceremony on the 26th, Chief Kim declared, "We have shown disappointing aspects to the public so far, but with this new CI unveiling, we aim to become an HCIA that renews itself day by day (Ilshin Uilshin)."

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