Kim Sangmin Appears Before Kim Gunhee Special Prosecutor Over "Nomination Interference Allegations": "Having Investigated for Years, We Must Guard Against Confirmation Bias"

Investigation Into "Woo Hwan Lee Painting Gift" Allegations
Kim Sangmin: "Special Prosecutor's Information Based on Misunderstandings and Speculation"
Han Ducksoo to Appear in the Afternoon... Investigation Into "Sale of Public Office" Allegations Accelerates

Former Prosecutor Sangmin Kim appeared before the Kim Gunhee Special Prosecutor Team (headed by Special Prosecutor Min Joongki) on September 9 in connection with the "nomination interference allegations." The special prosecutor's team suspects that Kim handed over a painting by artist Woo Hwan Lee to Mrs. Kim in an attempt to secure a nomination.

Former Chief Prosecutor Sangmin Kim, who was involved in the "Myeong Taekyun Nomination Interference" case, is appearing as a suspect before the Kim Gunhee Special Prosecutor Team set up at the KT Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 9th, responding to questions from the press. 2025.9.9 Photo by Cho Yongjun

At around 9:50 a.m. that day, Kim arrived at the special prosecutor's office, located in the West Wing of the KT Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno-gu, as a suspect.

When asked by reporters whether he had delivered Woo Hwan Lee's painting to Mrs. Kim's side, he replied, "Having conducted investigations for a long time myself, I know that the most important thing to guard against during an investigation is the error of confirmation bias. It seems that much of the information being leaked through the special prosecutor's investigation is based on misunderstandings and speculation. I will give a detailed explanation regarding that point during my appearance."

Kim did not respond to other questions, such as whether he handed over the painting for the purpose of seeking a nomination or whether Mrs. Kim was involved in his appointment as a special legal advisor to the National Intelligence Service, and proceeded directly to the interrogation room.

The nomination interference allegations include claims that Mrs. Kim worked to have Kim run as a candidate in the 2024 general election for the Changwon Uichang district in South Gyeongsang Province, which was the constituency of former People Power Party lawmaker Youngsun Kim.

Myeong Taekyun, a so-called "political broker" who assisted the former lawmaker at the time, has asserted, "Mrs. Kim instructed that support be provided so that Kim could win in Changwon Uichang district. She said that if he succeeded, he would be given a ministerial post or the presidency of a public enterprise after the election." However, Kim ultimately did not receive the nomination for Changwon Uichang, and was instead appointed as a special legal advisor to the National Intelligence Service in August of the same year.

Recently, the special prosecutor's team reportedly secured evidence that Kim was the purchaser of Woo Hwan Lee's painting, "From Point No. 800298," which was found during a search of the home of Mrs. Kim's brother's mother-in-law. The team suspects that Mrs. Kim's side may have intervened in Kim's nomination for the general election in exchange for receiving the painting.

The previous day, the special prosecutor's team searched Kim's residence in a provincial area. During the investigation, they are expected to question him about the painting and related matters.

In the Afternoon: Han Ducksoo to Appear Over "Sale of Public Office" Allegations

Meanwhile, at 2 p.m. that day, the special prosecutor's team will summon former Prime Minister Ducksoo Han in connection with allegations of "sale of public office" surrounding the appointment of the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister.

The team is expected to question Han about whether there was any intervention from higher authorities during the selection of the Chief of Staff.

In March 2022, Bongkwan Lee, Chairman of Sehee Construction, submitted a written confession stating that he had given Mrs. Kim expensive jewelry, including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, in an attempt to secure a public office position for his son-in-law, attorney Sungkeun Park. Park was in fact appointed as Chief of Staff to then-Prime Minister Ducksoo Han about three months after the necklace was delivered.

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