The questioning of the South Korean president's wife was not even known to the top prosecutor, the prosecutor general

On the 20th of this month, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office questioned Kim about allegations of stock price manipulation by Kim Gun-Hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol.
This is the first time that Kim's wife has been questioned by the prosecution. The fact that the local prosecutor's office reported the fact of the investigation of Kim to the prosecutor general, the head of the prosecution, after the fact has led to the "general prosecutor passivity."
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said on the 21st that the Prosecutor General was "deeply ignoring" the situation, as the Prosecutor General was essentially ignored during Kim's investigation.
"We are struggling with this issue," he said. Meanwhile, the district prosecutors' office said it had been unable to investigate the case because the prosecutor general's power to lead the investigation was stripped during the administration of former president Moon Jae-in.
The report said it had been determined that the previous report was inappropriate. Kim's involvement is in the stock price manipulation scandal at German Motors, an imported car dealer.
During that time, the then CEO of German Motors allegedly manipulated the stock price of the company, driving it up from the 2,000 won range (about 225 yen at current rates) to the 8,000 won range. Kim was accused of stock price manipulation.
He is suspected of having provided funding for the production of the stock, as well as of having directly or indirectly intervened in transactions during the period when stock price manipulation is suspected.
In addition to the allegations of stock price manipulation, Kim is also accused of indicting a Korean resident of the United States in September 2022.
She is also suspected of receiving a luxury brand Dior bag from a pastor in the past. In South Korea, there is a law that prohibits public servants and their spouses from receiving money or gifts above a certain amount in connection with their duties.
In November last year, a YouTube channel critical of the Yoon administration released a video purporting to show the whole incident, raising suspicions.
Regarding the allegations, President Yoon said at a press conference in May this year, "I would like to apologize to the public for causing concern due to my wife's unwise actions."
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office set up an investigative team in the same month and is working to clarify the allegations. On the 20th of this month, the prosecutors questioned Kim for 12 hours. After the questioning, Kim's side said, "We have been sincere in our apology.
"We have decided that it is not appropriate for the Presidential Office to directly comment on matters currently under investigation by the prosecution," a presidential office official said.
However, it has become clear that the head of the prosecution, Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok, was only briefed on Kim's questioning after the fact, causing a stir.
The Supreme Prosecutors' Office was informed of the decision about 10 hours after the hearing began. According to the South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh, a source from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office told the newspaper, "The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office was informed of the decision as the hearing was drawing to a close.
"We have been reporting the matter to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office after the fact, and the Prosecutor General is deeply troubled by this situation," he said. Lee will become the Deputy Chief of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in May 2022 and serve as the acting Prosecutor General.
After serving as prosecutor general in the past, he was formally appointed as the prosecutor general in September of the same year. His term expires in September this year. Regarding the investigation into Kim, Lee said, "There are no exceptions, preferential treatment or sanctuaries before the law," and
They have repeatedly demanded that he be summoned to the police for investigation, but this time the questioning was held at a government facility under the jurisdiction of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for security reasons.
The aforementioned investigation team was established under the direction of Lee to conduct a swift and rigorous investigation into the allegations of misconduct surrounding Kim.
However, 11 days later, an unusual personnel change occurred in which all the senior officials at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which was investigating the allegations against Kim, were replaced at once.
He pointed out the possibility that there may have been pressure from the side. Some believe that this past experience has created friction between Prosecutor General Lee and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office explained that the Prosecutor General's power to lead investigations was stripped away during the previous Moon administration, and that for this reason, it "determined that the report was inappropriate."
According to the Hankyoreh, a source at the local prosecutors' office said that initially, only written hearings were planned for the brand bag case, and that face-to-face hearings would also be held.
The source explained, "After the face-to-face hearing for the German Motors case was over, we persuaded Kim's side to take over the Brandback case.
"We decided to investigate the matter further. We have reported this to President Lee."