hankyoreh

First lady Kim Keon-hee takes in art at the Kunsthaus Zürich in Switzerland on Jan. 19. (courtesy of the presidential office)

The presidential office is actively considering suing Kim Eui-kyeom of the Democratic Party for defamation by spreading false information as early as Jan. 30. Kim has raised suspicions of further stock manipulation by President Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife, Kim Keon-hee.

If the Democratic Party spokesperson is formally accused, this will mark the second case in which the presidential office called for the criminal punishment of an opposition party lawmaker for raising suspicions related to the first lady. The first case involved Democratic Party lawmaker Jang Kyung-tae.

Meeting with reporters at the Yongsan presidential office on Sunday, a senior administration official stated that the office was “reviewing legal responses in relation to Spokesperson Kim, including suing. If a decision is made, the complaint will be made early this week.”

In a written briefing on Friday, Kim Eui-kyeom claimed that the names of Kim Keon-hee and her mother, Choi Eun-sun, were mentioned 100 to 300 times at the Deutsch Motors’ stock manipulation case trial. He also went on to state, “In addition, it was revealed through the prosecutor in charge that Mrs. Kim and Mrs. Choi’s accounts were used in another pump-and-dump stock scheme involving Woori Technology.”

The lawmaker’s opinion quoted reports from news outlets Ilyo Shinmun and Newstapa that claimed that the prosecutor in charge of the Deutsch Motors’ stock manipulation trial disclosed in March and November of 2022 that those involved in the Deutsch Motors case bought Woori Technology shares and that Kim Keon-hee and Choi Eun-soon were involved in those sales as well.

The presidential office strongly protested the remarks by immediately issuing a notice calling Kim Eui-kyeom’s claim “a preposterous lie,” going on to state, “The fact that the spokesman of a political party assumed that the president’s spouse manipulated stock prices without any objective evidence, such as results of the Financial Supervisory Service’s investigation, is something that cannot be justified and is an act that does nothing for the national interest.”

Another high-ranking official in the president’s office said in a phone call with the Hankyoreh that “We don’t sue just anyone. But we are dealing with people who are acting in an excessively malicious manner towards the first lady.”

When the presidential office’s plan to file a complaint became public, Kim Eui-kyeom stated that he “welcomed the move with open arms.” The Democratic lawmaker stated, “The prosecution is not even conducting a written investigation into the first lady regarding her involvement with Deutsch Motors,” and urged that the truth of the matter be revealed through a special prosecutor being assigned to Kim Keon-hee.

The Democratic lawmaker said that he would “accept any punishment” if his claim turns out to be wrong.

The presidential office is responding strongly to any allegations made by the Democratic Party’s lawmakers in relation to the first lady. In November 2022, lawmaker Jang Kyung-tae, who claimed that the photograph Kim Keon-hee took after she made a private visit to the home of a child suffering from a heart condition in Phnom Penh was nothing more than a “concept shot taken at a studio,” was accused of defamation for spreading false information.

By Kim Mi-na, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]