Why Did South Korea's Ex-First Lady Decline Prosecution Summons?

Seoul, May 13 (NationPress) Kim Keon Hee, the former first lady of South Korea, has communicated to the prosecution that she is unable to respond to a summons scheduled for this week. She argues that the ongoing investigation into the alleged influence-peddling case might distort public sentiment ahead of the impending presidential election, according to judicial sources.

Kim's attorneys have submitted a formal letter requesting her absence from a hearing at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office set for Wednesday, as reported by the sources.

She is facing allegations of breaching the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act, linked to accusations that she assisted former People Power Party Representative Kim Young-sun in securing the party's nomination for the 2022 by-elections. This was allegedly facilitated through Myung Tae-kyun, a self-identified power broker, who conducted favorable public opinion polls for Yoon Suk Yeol prior to the 2022 presidential election in exchange.

In her letter, Kim expressed worries regarding the investigation's possible repercussions on the June 3 presidential election, suggesting it could incite speculative media narratives, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

On May 12, prosecutors mandated Kim's appearance for questioning this week in relation to her alleged influence in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections.

Prosecutors are reportedly contemplating a request for a warrant to detain Kim should she continue to disregard repeated summonses without justifiable reasons.

Earlier in 2025, scrutiny intensified around Kim Keon Hee regarding her alleged role in the nation’s brief martial law decree, with claims of election interference and messages sent to officials just before the December turmoil.

The opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) contended that the impending threat of public disclosure regarding the couple’s alleged interference in the nomination for a local parliamentary by-election in 2022 pressured former president Yoon Suk-yeol into initiating long-planned actions.

Yoon, who swiftly transitioned from a prominent prosecutor to the presidency in approximately three years, became the second President in the nation to face formal removal from office, following his unexpected martial law attempt that unsettled the country for months and intensified political divisions.

Before ascending to the presidency, Yoon began his career as a prosecutor in 1994, climbing the ranks to lead an investigation into Park's corruption scandal that resulted in her ousting and subsequent incarceration.

He was appointed as the nation’s top prosecutor in 2019 under then-President Moon Jae-in but clashed with the administration while overseeing investigations involving family members of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk.

Amid escalating pressure from the Moon administration, Yoon resigned in 2021, shortly thereafter entering politics and winning the presidential election in 2022 as the candidate for the conservative People Power Party.

Yoon's tenure was fraught with conflict due to an unyielding National Assembly dominated by the main Opposition Democratic Party (DP). He exercised his presidential veto against 25 bills passed by the National Assembly.

Tensions with the DP peaked in early December, as the main Opposition introduced motions to impeach the country’s chief auditor and a senior prosecutor, leading Yoon to declare martial law on December 3, which ultimately culminated in his downfall.