Former President Yoon Suk-yeol's wife, Kim Keon-hee, is seen returning home after being questioned as a suspect at the special prosecutor's office led by Min Jung-ki, located in the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on August 6. Yonhap News Agency

Controversy is escalating over the political neutrality and fairness of the special prosecutor's investigation as the Min Jung-ki special prosecutor's team summoned Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon of the People Power Party as a suspect in relation to the "Roger Vivier handbag delivery allegations" and sought an eight-year prison sentence for Kim Ye-seong, who is known to be an associate of Kim Keon-hee.

The special prosecution team alleged that Rep. Kim was involved in the delivery of a luxury handbag to Kim Keon-hee shortly after the March 2023 party leadership election, applying charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. While various circumstantial evidences such as the timing of the bag's purchase, the payment account, and vehicle access records were presented, it is pointed out that it remains unclear whether a direct quid pro quo between the party leadership election and Mrs. Kim's influence can be legally proven.

In particular, with Mrs. Kim exercising her right to remain silent during the investigation, criticism is being raised that the investigation is constructing a retrospective causal relationship by linking circumstantial facts that can be politically interpreted. In a matter where the line between a simple gift and an illegal solicitation is blurred, many view summoning a sitting lawmaker as a suspect as an excessive investigation.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the special prosecution team sought an eight-year prison sentence and a significant confiscation of assets for embezzlement from Kim Ye-seong, classified as an associate of Kim Keon-hee. The special prosecution team emphasized Kim's poor criminal behavior, including attempting to flee abroad and concealing evidence as the investigation neared, but Kim's side countered that he is not subject to the special prosecutor's law and has no direct connection to Mrs. Kim.

A point worth noting is the scope of the special prosecutor's investigation. Kim's side claimed that the prosecution is conducting a selective and targeted investigation, mentioning that the special prosecutor's team excluded allegations of political-religious collusion with the Unification Church despite securing related statements from the Democratic Party. In contrast, extensive searches and seizures, along with severe sentencing requests, have been ongoing for figures in the ruling party and their associates, leading to criticism that the special prosecution has lost political balance.

Concerns are also being raised that the special prosecution, launched after the change in government, may be exceeding its original purpose of "power surveillance" and functioning as a means of judicial pressure targeting a specific faction. It is argued that equality before the law must also apply equally to the intensity and direction of investigations, and that the legitimacy of the entire special prosecution investigation could be undermined if it is not accompanied by clear evidence and legal principles beyond mere allegations of wrongdoing. 

By Reporter Jung Woo-seok