Telegram messages sent by former first lady Kim Keon-hee to former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae were disclosed during his trial, where Park faces allegations of attempting to quash a prosecution investigation into Kim's acceptance of a luxury handbag.
The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 33 (Chief Judge Lee Jin-gwan) held a hearing Thursday on Park's charges of abuse of authority, obstruction of rights, and engaging in critical duties related to insurrection. The court called Kim Seung-ho, a prosecutor at the Busan High Prosecutors' Office, as a witness. Kim led the Criminal Division 1 as chief prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office between May and October 2024, when the office investigated and cleared Kim Keon-hee of allegations involving a Dior handbag.
During the witness examination, the insurrection special prosecution team presented Telegram messages that Kim Keon-hee sent to Park in May 2024. In the disclosed messages, Kim wrote that it was "necessary to raise questions about other investigations, particularly the reasons for the insufficient investigation into Kim Hye-kyung (President Lee Jae-myung's wife) and whether the Supreme Prosecutors' Office obstructed the investigation." She also wrote that it was "necessary to raise issues about why the investigation into Kim Myeong-su (former Supreme Court Chief Justice), which has been handled by Criminal Division 1 for more than two years, has been left unresolved without any conclusion."
"It feels like (Kim Keon-hee) is appealing, 'Why is the investigation into me being conducted quickly while older cases are being left untouched?'" the special prosecution team said. In response, Prosecutor Kim said, "At the time, the cases involving Kim Hye-kyung and Kim Jung-sook were not under our division's jurisdiction, and the Kim Myeong-su case was being investigated by Criminal Division 1."
When the court asked whether he had received any communication from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office regarding Kim Keon-hee's case after the special team was formed in May 2024, Kim said, "In the early stages, the structure made it difficult for the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to give directives." He declined to testify about the situation thereafter.
Park was indicted in December last year on charges of sequentially participating in former President Yoon Suk-yeol's insurrection by convening a meeting of Justice Ministry bureau chiefs after the emergency martial law declaration and reviewing the dispatch of prosecutors to a joint investigation headquarters, as well as on charges of receiving inquiries from Kim Keon-hee about the formation of a special prosecution team and directing subordinates to verify and report on the matter. Former Government Legislation Minister Lee Wan-kyu faces charges of perjury (violation of the National Assembly Testimony and Appraisal Act) for falsely testifying that there was no discussion about martial law during a "safe house meeting" immediately after the martial law was lifted.
After concluding the witness examination of Prosecutor Kim in the morning, the court proceeded with the special prosecution team's documentary evidence review of the cases involving Park and Lee in the afternoon.
The court is scheduled to hold closing arguments on Nov. 27, when the special prosecution team will make its sentencing recommendation and the defendants will deliver their final statements.
