Prosecution Summons Key Figure Bae in Kim Hye-kyung's 'Corporate Card Misuse' Allegation for Investigation

Kim Hye-kyung, wife of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is appearing at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province on the 23rd of last month to undergo investigation related to the 'corporate card misuse allegations.'
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] The prosecution summoned and questioned Bae, a key figure in the 'corporate card misuse' allegation involving Kim Hye-kyung, wife of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 5th.

The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Public Investigation Division (Chief Prosecutor Jeong Won-du) summoned and investigated Bae from the morning of that day.

Bae is suspected of having served as Kim's personal secretary while working at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government for over three years, from July 2018, when Lee was governor of Gyeonggi Province, until September last year, and is considered a key figure in this case's investigation.

He, who was a level 5 special appointment employee in the General Affairs Division of the provincial government, is accused of using the Gyeonggi Province corporate card to pay for Kim's personal meals during the problematic period and illegally obtaining prescriptions under other people's names to deliver to Kim (breach of duty).

Additionally, when these allegations surfaced during the 20th presidential election, he denied them as false information and is also charged with spreading false information.

Bae is also accused of instructing A, the whistleblower in this case, to pay approximately 100,000 won for meals of other attendees, including Kim's driver and lawyer, excluding Kim herself, when Kim dined with three party-related personnel at a restaurant in Seoul on August 2 last year, after Lee declared his candidacy in the party's presidential primary, using the corporate card.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency's Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit applied for a pre-arrest warrant for Bae on the 24th of last month, but after the court dismissed it, they transferred him to the prosecution along with Kim on the 31st of last month without detention.

The police judged Bae to be a co-conspirator in breach of duty and violation of the Public Official Election Act alongside Kim.

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