Opposition, Kim Geon-hee's 'Private Investigation' Called "Emperor Summons" and Urges "Expedite Special Prosecutor Law"

Jeong Cheong-rae "Prosecutors, since when did you become business trip servicemen?"
Park Chan-dae "We must expedite the special investigation law for First Lady Kim Geon-hee"

The prosecution's private face-to-face investigation of First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, at a government security office has been criticized by the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, for the inappropriate location and method of the investigation. Jeong Cheong-rae, a senior member of the Democratic Party, said, "She should appear as a witness at the National Assembly during the impeachment petition hearing for President Yoon on the 26th."

At a senior members' meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 22nd, Jeong said, "Since when did prosecutors become on-call service workers?" and added, "As the chairman of the National Assembly's Judiciary Committee, I cannot make a business trip for the impeachment petition hearing." He continued, "It is unclear whether the prosecution investigated Mrs. Kim or Mrs. Kim investigated the prosecution's investigation method," and fiercely criticized, "What suspect in the world calls the prosecutor over like this?" He also added, "The fact that Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok was completely unaware of the special privilege of summoning Mrs. Kim like an emperor naturally raises the question of whether he is fit to be the Prosecutor General."

Park Chan-dae, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is presiding over the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. On the left, Supreme Council Member Jung Cheong-rae is seated. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 (Chief Prosecutor Choi Jae-hoon) and Criminal Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Kim Seung-ho) announced on the 21st that they had summoned Mrs. Kim to a government security office under the jurisdiction of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the 20th for questioning. Specifically, she was investigated for about 12 hours in connection with allegations of stock manipulation of Deutsche Motors and a complaint related to receiving luxury bags.

Park Chan-dae, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party, emphasized, "We will strictly investigate the allegations against Mrs. Kim with the authority of the National Assembly," and added, "We will expedite the passage of the special prosecutor law." He criticized, "The excuse of security and safety issues feels pathetic, and the arrogance and urgency are felt in the way even the Prosecutor General was bypassed." Furthermore, he claimed, "The prosecution itself has shown that the family of the appointing authority is an exception before the law."

Kim Yong-min, the senior deputy floor leader, also stated on Facebook, "This is an example that shows why a special prosecutor is necessary," and said, "Even if the prosecution decides not to indict, there is no obstacle to the special prosecutor reinvestigating. We will definitely push through the special prosecutor." He warned, "If the prosecution 'goes easy,' it will also become a subject of investigation."

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