"They Didn't Even Make Eye Contact... 'Kim Gunhee Cried a Lot After Returning from Court'"

Attorney Yoo Jeonghwa Shares Courtroom Encounter on Social Media
On Reports of "Avoiding Eye Contact": "Refrain from Distortion and Speculation"

"They are both human beings with feelings, and they are a married couple."

This was the statement made by the attorney, urging people to refrain from distorting or speculating about the courtroom encounter between former President Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Gunhee, who reunited in court after about nine months.

Kim Gunhee appeared as a witness and testified at the continued trial of the case involving former Minister of Justice Park Sungjae's charge of engaging in important duties of rebellion, held on the 13th at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, presided over by Chief Judge Lee Jinkwan of the 33rd Criminal Division. Seoul Central District Court Yonhap News.

Yoo Jeonghwa, the attorney representing both former President Yoon and Kim Gunhee, stated on social media on the 16th, "As the lawyer representing both parties, that scene was a very regrettable and heartbreaking moment," expressing these sentiments.

Previously, on the 14th, Kim Gunhee appeared as a witness at the trial regarding former President Yoon's alleged receipt of free public opinion surveys from Myung Tae-gyun, held at the 33rd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Jinkwan. The two faced each other in court for the first time in about nine months since former President Yoon was taken into custody.

Regarding the situation at the time, Attorney Yoo explained, "After taking the witness stand, Kim Gunhee glanced at former President Yoon several times out of the corner of her eye, and during the questioning, her nose reddened as she became emotional. Although her voice trembled slightly, she ultimately suppressed her tears and quietly expressed her intention to refuse to testify." She added, "Throughout the more than 40 questions, the sorrow and joy between them were vividly felt."

Yoo also shared, "During the meeting on the 15th, Kim Gunhee said, 'After finishing the witness questioning yesterday and returning to the detention center, I barely remember how I got back, and I cried a lot after returning.'"

Attorney Yoo emphasized, "This statement is not intended to seek anyone's sympathy," and added, "As some distorted speculations are spreading in the form of news articles, I am conveying the facts as they are to at least set the record straight."

This is seen as a rebuttal to reports claiming that Kim Gunhee appeared cold and unresponsive during the courtroom encounter. In court, former President Yoon was said to have looked at Kim Gunhee, who was sitting in the witness stand, occasionally smiling, and when she finished her testimony and left, he reportedly smiled brightly and nodded to her. However, several reports claimed that Kim Gunhee avoided eye contact with former President Yoon, mostly looking straight ahead and maintaining a neutral expression.

Attorney Yoo reiterated, "They are both human beings with feelings, and they are a married couple," stressing that "even such obvious facts should not be disregarded."

Meanwhile, former President Yoon is accused of conspiring with Kim Gunhee to receive a total of 58 free public opinion surveys, worth approximately 270 million won, from political broker Myung Tae-gyun between April 2021 and March 2022.

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