A civil servant from Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, who was summoned for investigation by Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki's team looking into allegations concerning First Lady Kim Keon-hee, was found dead at his home, and the police have launched an investigation.

According to the police on the 10th, A, a 50-something official at the Yangpyeong County Office (Grade 5), was found dead by colleagues in the bathroom of his apartment in Yangpyeong-eup, Yangpyeong County. They reported the discovery.

Yangpyeong County Office. Courtesy of Yangpyeong County. 

Colleagues of A found him after he failed to show up for work and did not respond to calls, prompting them to visit his home, where they discovered him deceased.

There were no indications of foul play.

A's family stated that he had previously been summoned and investigated by the special prosecutor's office in relation to allegations concerning First Lady Kim.

According to Yonhap News' investigation, the special prosecutor's team summoned A on September 2nd, the day before the Chuseok holiday, to investigate the "Yangpyeong Gongheung District Development Favoritism" allegations concerning First Lady Kim.

This allegation claims that ESI&D, a family company of Kim's mother, Choi Eun-soon, received preferential treatment, including not paying any development contributions, during an apartment development project in Yangpyeong's Gongheung district between 2011 and 2016.

A was reportedly in charge of development contribution-related matters at the Yangpyeong County Office in 2016.

A Yangpyeong County official stated, "A worked as the team leader of the resident support division's land price management team in 2016 and handled development contribution-related tasks. Beyond that, to my knowledge, he did not engage in any work related to the allegations."

A was summoned for investigation by the special prosecutor's team for the first time on the 2nd and was reportedly a suspect.

A's will reportedly contained details about the investigation into the Gongheung district favoritism allegations and his feelings after the investigation, including expressions of distress.

Following the news of A's death, Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly and said, "An ordinary citizen made an extreme choice due to the special prosecutor's inhumane investigation. May he rest in peace."

He then revealed the contents of a memo left by A during his lifetime. This is reported to be a separate document from the suicide note found at the scene.

The memo reportedly contained sentiments about the difficulties caused by the special prosecutor's coercive investigation and alleged inducements to testify in accordance with the instructions of People Power Party lawmaker Kim Sun-kyo, who was the mayor of Yangpyeong at the time.

In response, the special prosecutor's office stated, "As this is information obtained through media reports, we will be able to provide specifics after further investigation into the circumstances."

The police are investigating the detailed circumstances, presuming that A took his own life based on the condition of the body, family statements, and the scene.

※ If you are experiencing distress or have family or friends who are struggling with similar difficulties, you can receive 24-hour expert counseling by calling the Suicide Prevention Hotline at ☎ 109 or through the suicide prevention social media counseling service 'Madlen'.

Yonhap News