Sungtae Kim: "Prosecutors Selectively Arrested 17 People Closest to Me, Including My Younger Brother and Cousin"

Former Ssangbangwool Chairman Testifies at Parliamentary Inquiry
Reiterates: "North Korea Remittance Case Unrelated to Lee Jaemyung"

Former Ssangbangwool Group Chairman Kim Sung-tae testified at a parliamentary hearing on April 28 that, during the investigation into the "North Korea remittance case," the prosecution exerted intense pressure targeting his family members and close acquaintances.

Former Ssangbangwool Chairman Kim Sung-tae is responding to questions from lawmakers at the 11th plenary session of the Special Committee for the National Assembly Investigation into the Political Prosecution and Fabricated Indictment Allegations of the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration, held on April 28, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

On this day, Kim appeared as a witness at the comprehensive hearing of the "Special Committee for the National Assembly Investigation into Political Prosecution and Fabricated Indictment Allegations of the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration," held at the National Assembly. He stated, "The prosecution detained 17 of my family members and colleagues. Even in investigations of large conglomerates, rarely are over a dozen company associates arrested."

When Assemblyman Lee Geon-tae of the Democratic Party of Korea raised allegations of prosecutorial pressure based on transcripts of Kim's detention center visits, Kim responded, "If they had just taken me alone, beaten me, stabbed me, and tortured me like Japanese police officers, I could have endured that. However, they selectively detained those closest to me—my younger brother, my sister’s husband, my cousin, and colleagues of 30 years. Only those with such close ties to me were arrested. People who have never experienced this can never truly understand."

In the transcript disclosed by Assemblyman Lee, Kim referred to the prosecution during a meeting as "worse than devils."

Based on the detention center transcripts and Kim’s testimony, Assemblyman Lee claimed, "Political prosecutors employed coercive tactics to extract false statements and also pressured Chairman Kim through the investigation," insisting that Kim "became a victim of a fabricated investigation."

In contrast, lawmakers from the People Power Party argued that the core of the North Korea remittance case was a corporate payment made to support then-Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jaemyung’s presidential campaign.

Assemblyman Yoon Sang-hyun pressed Kim, asking, "Why did you suddenly come forward? Who persuaded or coaxed you?" He further asserted, "At its core, the North Korea remittance case is about Ssangbangwool paying for every public project undertaken by the governor of Gyeonggi Province. Wasn’t the intent to benefit if Lee Jaemyung became president?" He added, "The special parliamentary committee is just an attempt to absolve President Lee Jaemyung of wrongdoing. This is not a fabricated indictment—it is an investigation by the prosecution of the Republic of Korea to uphold justice and uncover the truth."

In response, Kim stated, "The trial is ongoing," and refrained from giving a detailed answer.

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