June 17, 2025
SEOUL – Min Joong-ki, the special prosecutor tasked with investigating multiple suspicions against former first lady Kim Keon Hee, has recommended prosecutors who will assist him throughout the special counsel probe.
According to the special prosecutor, eight assistant special prosecutor candidates were recommended to the presidential office on Sunday night.
“It is difficult (for me) to disclose the names of those who were recommended as the assistant special prosecutors. But since the investigation must be completed within a limited timeline, I prioritized candidates with strong investigative capabilities,” Min told the reporters Monday.
Min added that he visited several potential locations for the team’s offices.
“We are still in the early stages and have yet to fully grasp the details of the case. No specific priorities have been set among the 16 allegations against former first lady Kim. Once the assistant special prosecutors are appointed, we will review the cases together and determine the order of priority,” he said.
Min is set to look into allegations surrounding Kim, which include stock price manipulation, acceptance of a luxury bag and interference in Assembly election nominations. He can have up to four assistant special prosecutors if President Lee Jae-myung appoints them from the pool of eight recommended candidates.
The assistant special prosecutors will hold authority similar to that of chief prosecutors: leading dispatched prosecutors and investigators, maintaining prosecutions of indicted cases, and conducting investigations related to the case.
In addition to appointing assistant special prosecutors, Min needs to finalize the list of 200 dispatched prosecutors, government officials and investigators, and secure an office for the special counsel probe within 20 days, meaning the full-scale investigation will begin by early next month at the latest
The independent special counsel probe in charge of investigating Kim must be completed in 170 days.
Ahead of the launch of the special investigation, Kim was reportedly hospitalized at Seoul Asan Medical Center on Monday afternoon as her “existing illness” worsened.
But it is reported that her condition was not critical.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office reportedly confirmed that two Chanel handbags intended for Kim were allegedly exchanged for three different bags and a pair of shoes. The prosecutors’ office investigated Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman who also goes by Geon Jin, for alleged corruption via ties with the former presidential couple.
The luxury handbags are linked to accusations of bribery against Kim. They were allegedly purchased by a former global executive of the Unification Church as a gift for Kim, after then-presidential candidate Yoon won the election in 2022, in an attempt to receive support for projects in the church’s interests.
The two Chanel handbags were reportedly delivered to Kim’s former aide, Yoo Kyung-ok. Yoo previously told the prosecutors that “she tried to exchange the handbags for models that appeal to young people” because the shaman told her to.
Kim’s legal representatives admitted that Yoo had received the Chanel bags and that Yoo had received them due to the shaman’s insistence. They also claimed that Kim had never received such bags, denying any connection that the former first lady had to the matter.
Shaman Geon Jin also reportedly told investigators the luxury bags, which were delivered to Yoo, were not given to Kim during the investigation in mid-May. But the shaman added that he lost the bags after retrieving them from Yoo.
According to legal sources and media reports Monday, the prosecutors are believed to be paying close attention to the shoes.
The prosecution believes that if the shoe size matches the former first lady’s, it could be considered evidence that Kim was involved in or directed the exchange, which contradicts the shaman’s testimony. It did not disclose the size of the shoes or whether it was unusual.
The prosecutors have yet to locate the actual items.