Ex-Prosecutor Lee Chang-soo faces second probe over alleged influence in First Lady's case

Lee Chang-soo, the former prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, is scheduled to appear for his second investigation on June 19. He faces allegations of interfering with the investigation into First Lady Kim Keon-hee's involvement in stock manipulation. The special prosecutor's team will question Lee as a suspect on charges including abuse of power and falsification of official documents.

Lee is accused of modifying investigation reports after the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office decided not to indict Kim on charges related to the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation in October 2024. He is also alleged to have exerted undue influence on the investigative team, for instance, by instructing them to refer to precedents of acquittals in stock manipulation cases.

The investigative team led by Lee had interviewed Kim in October 2024 at a government building and subsequently decided not to indict her on charges related to Deutsch Motors stock manipulation and the Dior bag scandal. This decision, made just three months after the interview, sparked controversy over a "lenient investigation" within and outside prosecutorial circles.

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Do I have to answer these questions?

The special prosecutor's team has reportedly obtained testimony from Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office officials indicating that Kim Keon-hee resisted the prosecution's request for a written interview. According to the testimony, when the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 requested a written response in July 2023, Kim reacted by questioning the necessity of answering such questions and stating she had no reason to do so.

Furthermore, the special prosecutor's team is reportedly examining the reasons behind the personnel changes at the top of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in May 2024 and why Kim only submitted her written response in July 2024. Kim Seung-ho, former head of the Criminal Affairs Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who handled the Dior bag case, appeared as a witness for questioning on the same day.

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There is no reason to do so.