Why Did South Korea's Ex-First Lady Skip Prosecutors' Questioning?

Seoul, May 14 (NationPress) Kim Keon Hee, the former first lady of South Korea, has chosen not to comply with a prosecutor's summons on Wednesday, as she faces serious influence peddling accusations related to the 2022 parliamentary bye-elections. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office had scheduled her questioning at 9 a.m., but she failed to appear.

On the previous day, Kim submitted a letter explaining her absence, stating that her presence could potentially influence public opinion prior to the upcoming presidential election.

She is charged with breaching the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act by allegedly assisting former People Power Party (PPP) Representative Kim Young-sun in securing the party's nomination for the 2022 bye-elections through the involvement of Myung Tae-kyun, a self-identified power broker, who conducted favorable public opinion polls for President Yoon ahead of the 2022 election.

Furthermore, Kim is also under scrutiny for her alleged role in the PPP's candidate nominations for both the 2022 local elections and the 2024 general elections.

Prosecutors are contemplating the next steps for summoning Kim again and may consider requesting a detention warrant if she continues to ignore the summons without valid justification, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

According to a prosecution official, "If Kim continues to evade all summons requests, we will carefully examine her reasoning and take necessary actions according to standard procedures."

President Yoon, who quickly ascended from a leading prosecutor to the nation’s presidency in just three years, became the second president in South Korean history to be formally removed from office, following a surprising martial law declaration that heightened political tensions in the country.

Yoon's political career began as a prosecutor in 1994, where he advanced to lead investigations into Park's corruption scandal, which resulted in her ouster and imprisonment. In 2019, he was appointed as the top prosecutor under the administration of former President Moon Jae-in, but faced conflicts while overseeing investigations involving family members of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk.

After stepping down in 2021 due to pressure from the Moon administration, Yoon entered politics and won the presidential election in 2022 representing the conservative PPP.

His presidency has been marked by friction with a National Assembly dominated by the opposition Democratic Party (DP), leading to the exercise of his veto power against 25 bills passed by the assembly.

In early December, tensions peaked as the main opposition party initiated motions to impeach key officials, prompting Yoon to declare martial law on December 3, which ultimately contributed to his downfall.