Former first lady Kim Keon-hee failed to appear as a witness in the trial of those who raised the so-called "Julie" allegations against her. The court rescheduled the witness examination and imposed a fine of 3 million won ($2,200) on Kim.
The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Agreement Division 34, presided over by Chief Judge Han Sung-jin, held a continued hearing on Friday for Ahn Hae-wook, former head of the Korea Elementary School Taekwondo Association, and Jung Cheon-soo, former CEO of Open Gonggam TV, who were indicted on charges including violations of the Public Official Election Act.
The scheduled witness examination could not proceed as Kim did not appear. The court ruled that the reason for absence submitted by Kim's side was not justifiable and imposed a fine of 3 million won.
Under the Criminal Procedure Act, a witness who has been served a summons and fails to appear without justifiable reason may be fined up to 5 million won. If the witness fails to appear again without justifiable reason after the fine is imposed, detention for up to seven days or compulsory appearance may be ordered. As the court concluded the hearing, it decided to re-summon Kim as a witness on Dec. 20.
Ahn was indicted on charges of spreading false information after appearing on TBS's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" in January 2022, where he stated to the effect that he had witnessed Kim working under the stage name "Julie" at an entertainment establishment in the past.
