'Interference in nomination allegations' involved former prosecutor Kim Sang-min appearing at the Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor's office in Jongno-gu on the 9th. Yonhap News. 

Former Prosecutor General Kim Sang-min, who is accused of giving expensive paintings to First Lady Kim Keon-hee and seeking nomination for general elections, has filed an immediate appeal, claiming the seizure and search by Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki's team was illegal.

According to legal circles on the 28th, Kim's side filed an immediate appeal with the Seoul Central District Court on the 23rd, alleging that the special prosecutor's team conducted an illegal seizure and search by searching keywords unrelated to the charges stated in the warrant.

An immediate appeal is a system that requests the court to cancel or modify a disposition, such as a seizure and search by an investigative agency, when one objects to it.

On the 16th of last month, the special prosecutor's team dispatched investigators to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and secured various electronic information, including details of cases Kim accessed and approved, and judgments, through the Criminal Justice Information System (KICS) from early 2020 to February 2024.

Kim's side claimed that at the time, the special prosecutor's team intended to use names of politicians, famous singers, and journalists, as well as First Lady Kim and her mother Choi Eun-soon, as keywords for selecting electronic information.

Kim's side wrote in the immediate appeal, "This is an illegal exploratory act seeking to indiscriminately investigate private life, such as personal connections or media contact details, which are irrelevant to the charges."

The seizure and search warrant at the time reportedly stated the charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act for allegedly delivering paintings worth 140 million won to Mrs. Kim to seek nomination for the April 10 general election last year, and violating the Political Funds Act for allegedly receiving payments for campaign vehicles from businessman Mr. Kim while preparing for the general election.

Following the seizure and search, the special prosecutor's team summoned Kim twice for questioning and then indicted him in custody on the 2nd of this month, applying the same two charges.

Yonhap News