hankyoreh

Still from a video taken on Sept. 13, 2022, in which first lady Kim Keon-hee speaks with a pastor named Choi Jae-young after receiving a Dior purse from him. (still from Voice of Seoul video on YouTube)

The chief of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's anti-corruption bureau, who oversaw the investigation into first lady Kim Keon-hee regarding her acceptance of a luxury handbag, was found dead in his apartment. The person in question was said to have expressed sentiments of shame and despair following pressure to close the case on the first lady this past June. 

The bureau chief, surnamed Kim, was discovered by one of his subordinates in his apartment on Thursday at around 9:30 pm. The bureau employee went to Kim’s apartment in Sejong’s Jungchon neighborhood after Kim did not show up to work or answer his phone for several days. The commission staffer discovered Kim dead shortly after arrival. 

“I disagreed, but couldn’t disobey”

The deceased supervised the administrative side of investigations into various forms of corruption. He led the investigations into the first lady over the Dior bag and into Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung’s use of a helicopter airlift after being stabbed. 

Regarding political pressure to close the case on the first lady, Kim told people around him that the case was hard for him as it went against his conscience, according to the Hankyoreh’s investigative reporting. Instead of closing the case, Kim reportedly recommended that the case be passed on to another investigative authority. Police discovered a short suicide note in Kim’s apartment. Authorities have not publicized the exact content of the note, but it reportedly reveals Kim’s internal struggle. 

In a phone call with the Hankyoreh, a former acquaintance who claims to have been in regular contact with Kim said, “Kim sent me a text on Aug. 6 saying, ‘I’m sorry for disappointing you recently. I’m psychologically struggling.’ I told him, ‘Just hang in there, and you’ll get your chance to set things right.’” The acquaintance let out a long sigh during the call. 

“On June 27, Kim called me after he’d had a few drinks saying, ‘The brass in the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission pressured me to close the case on the first lady,’” the acquaintance added.

“He told me, ‘I disagreed, but I couldn’t disobey. This is hard,’” the acquaintance continued. 

“I’m sharing these texts and conversations because Kim is being portrayed as having committed suicide simply because he found his job difficult, and I’d like to set that straight. I met him several years ago, when I was assigned to a job that put me in contact with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and we became close,” the acquaintance added. 

On June 9, the agency declared that first lady Kim Keon-hee had not violated the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act by accepting a luxury handbag, and that it was closing the investigation into her actions. Chung Seung-yun, the vice chairperson for anti-corruption at the commission, was Kim’s supervisor. When announcing the results of the investigation into the first lady, Chung said that “the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act does not contain any regulations regarding the behavior of the spouse of a public official, which is why the case was closed.” 

Regarding this decision, Choi Jeong-muk, a non-standing commissioner who opposed closing the case, said, “There was plenty of room for legal debate, and a high-profile case of corruption was just brushed aside as ‘no violation.’ I will take responsibility for the case being closed.” Choi later resigned. 

Democratic Party lawmaker and spokesperson Noh Jong-myun issued a written statement saying, “We mourn the loss of a civil servant who worked for the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and vow that the Democratic Party will get to the bottom of what happened.”

“Anybody who is even partially responsible for the death of Kim should come forward, tell the truth, and apologize.”  

By Song In-geol, Daejeon correspondent; Son Hyun-soo, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]