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Yonhap News

Prosecutors have summoned former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife, Kim Keon-hee, to appear for questioning on May 14 as a suspect in an ongoing investigation into alleged manipulation of party nominations involving political broker Myung Tae-kyun. Whether Kim will comply with the summons remains unclear.

According to legal sources on May 12, the special investigation team at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, led by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Ji-hyung, recently issued a summons for Kim to appear as a suspect on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act.

Investigators are expected to question Kim regarding allegations that she received polling data free of charge from Myung and whether she was involved in nominating former lawmaker Kim Young-sun, former prosecutor Kim Sang-min, and former Gangseo-gu mayor Kim Tae-woo during the April 2024 general election.

Kim is accused of accepting free polling services from Myung during the presidential race in exchange for helping Kim Young-sun secure a nomination for the June 1, 2022, parliamentary by-election in Changwon’s Uichang District. Additional claims suggest she intervened in the selection of the ruling party’s candidate for Pohang mayor that same year and pushed to have Kim Sang-min run in Kim Young-sun’s district in the 2024 general election.

It remains uncertain whether Kim will attend the scheduled interrogation. Observers note that she has previously been uncooperative with the investigation and may cite health reasons to decline the summons.

If Kim fails to appear, prosecutors are expected to issue a second summons with a new date. Should she continue to ignore the requests without legitimate grounds, authorities may seek a warrant for her arrest.