△ South Korean former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Jong-hee (Photo)
On the 21st local time, the “Kim Jong-hee Special Investigation Team” summoned Kim Jong-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, to appear in court on the morning of August 6th for investigation. (CCTV Zhang Yun)
South Korea’s prosecutorial authority has restarted its investigation into the case involving Kim Jong-hee’s alleged manipulation of stock prices.
On April 25th local time, the Seoul Higher Prosecutors Office in South Korea decided to reopen the investigation into the suspected involvement of Kim Jong-hee in manipulating the stock price of Deutsche Automobile Company, a subsidiary of German automaker Audi, from 2009 to 2012. At the same time, the prosecutors decided not to investigate the allegation that Kim Jong-hee was involved in accepting luxury bags.
Kim Jong-hee is accused of participating in manipulating the stock price of Audi dealers in South Korea during the years 2009 to 2012, interfering in public office elections, and was reported in April 2020. The South Korean prosecutors had sent two inquiry letters to her, but her defense was deemed insufficiently robust.
In December 2023, the Democratic Party of Korea, representing the opposition, proposed a special prosecutor bill regarding Kim Jong-hee’s alleged manipulation of stock prices, known as the “Kim Jong-hee Special Investigation Act.” This bill was passed by the National Assembly in December 2023. However, President Yoon Suk-yeol exercised his veto in January 2024. In September 2024, the opposition once again proposed this bill. Subsequently, the bill went through several rounds of approval by the National Assembly, presidential (acting) veto, opposition re-proposed, or failed to pass through the National Assembly.
On March 20th this year, the South Korean National Assembly passed the “Kim Jong-hee Standing Special Investigation Bill.”