The Democratic Party of Korea has reintroduced the “Kim Keon-hee Special Prosecutor Act” on October 17, which includes the so-called “Myung Tae-gun allegations.” This bill aims at appointing a special prosecutor to investigate alleged stock manipulation cases involving Kim Keon-hee, the spouse of President Yoon Suk-yeol. This marks the third time the bill has been introduced, taking into account previous efforts in the 21st National Assembly.
The bill has expanded its investigation targets to 13 specific allegations, including the manipulation of stock prices of companies like Deutsche Motors and Sambo Construction, bribery through Kobana Contents, luxury bag receipt, illegal actions in the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission investigation, intervention in personnel appointments, lobbying in the death of Chae Haebyeong and customs drug cases, intervention in the 8th National Simultaneous Local Elections, interference in the 22nd and 20th National Assembly elections, manipulation of public opinion surveys related to the presidential election, changes in the Seoul-Yangpyeong highway route, and the disclosure of national secrets.
The revision of the bill highlighted the new allegations by Myung Tae-gun accusing Kim Keon-hee of election intervention. The bill includes a provision to cover additional claims, with an emphasis on ensuring the investigation addresses all potential criminal activities.
In response to the prosecution’s recent decision not to indict Kim Keon-hee on stock manipulation charges related to Deutsche Motors, the party accused the investigation of leniency, suggesting job neglect or abuse of authority, and indicated this would be subject to the special prosecutor’s examination. They pointed out potential misconduct during the investigation, such as the reassignment of prosecutors and the revival of the presidential office’s civil affairs office, suggesting these actions could have been intended to influence the investigation’s course.
The special prosecutor’s appointment and investigation process will follow the same guidelines as previous iterations of the bill.