First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, arrives at the office of Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, located in the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 6th to be questioned as a suspect. Yonhap News

The in-person questioning of former First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki’s team began at approximately 10:23 a.m. on the 6th.

While the questioning was originally scheduled for 10:00 a.m., the start time was delayed as Kim arrived late at the office located in the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu.

Kim stepped out of her vehicle in front of the building at 10:11 a.m. and waited in a designated room before moving to the interrogation room at 10:22 a.m.

The questioning is proceeding without video recording, as Kim's side did not consent to the video documentation.

Attorneys Yoo Jung-hwa, Chae Myung-sung, and Choi Ji-woo are present for Kim, while a chief prosecutor-level official is leading the interrogation for the special prosecutor's team.

It is expected that the questioning will be temporarily suspended for lunch after about two hours and then resumed.

This marks the first time in constitutional history that a former or incumbent First Lady has appeared publicly to be questioned by an investigative agency.

The special prosecutor’s team reportedly plans to question Kim in the following order: the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation allegations, suspicions regarding interference in the nomination process involving Myung Tae-kyun, and allegations of soliciting favors from the shaman known as 'Geonjin Beopsa.'

Kim is accused of participating as a 'money provider' in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case that occurred between 2009 and 2012.

Nine individuals, including former Deutsch Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo, have been convicted in this case, and the court ruling explicitly stated that three of Kim's accounts and one account belonging to her mother, Choi Eun-soon, were used for market manipulation.

Kim is also suspected of interfering in the People Power Party’s candidate nominations during the 2022 by-elections and last year's general elections, as well as receiving improper solicitations regarding Unification Church issues through Jeon Seong-bae (Geonjin Beopsa) between April and August 2022.

The summons issued by the special prosecutor’s team also included allegations that she omitted an expensive necklace from her financial disclosure statement when she visited Spain for the NATO summit in June 2022, and that former President Yoon spread false information during a debate when he was a presidential candidate regarding Kim’s alleged involvement in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation.

In addition to these, there are pending allegations regarding Samwhan Corporation stock manipulation, the Yangpyeong highway route modification, and preferential treatment in the Yangpyeong Gongheung district development, leading to expectations that the special prosecutor’s team will summon Kim for further questioning multiple times.

Yonhap News