KEY FIGURE OF LEE'S WIFE SUMMONED

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Police summoned yesterday a key suspect in the allegation that Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Jae-myung's wife had used corporate cards for personal use. The suspect, surnamed Bae, used to be Kim Hye-kyung's protocol secretary and former Gyeonggi-do provincial government employee. This is the second summon related to the case in recent weeks, raising suspicion that investigation on Kim is imminent. Today the whistle-blower who first exposed this suspicion was called in for questioning.

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Bae was affiliated with the general affairs division of the Gyeonggi-do provincial office and used to serve as the protocol secretary for Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of then-Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung. She has been suspected of purchasing food with a corporate card as well as getting prescription medicine for Kim Hye-kyung and delivering them to the governor's residence. On Wednesday, police summoned Bae for questioning as a suspect. Investigators probed Bae to find out whether Kim had ordered her to do so or condoned her actions. Police have conducted search and seizure at multiple places, including the Gyeonggi provincial office, Bae's home and the restaurants where corporate cards were used. Authorities have been checking to see whether the credit card statements match the invoices. This is the second summon for Bae. She was questioned about possible violations of the Public Official Election Act earlier. Bae is accused of publicizing false information by publicly denying the allegation when the suspected corporate card use was reported during the presidential election campaigning. This is the first time Bae was summoned for the alleged use of corporate cards and getting prescription medicine for the governor's wife. Some speculate Kim Hye-kyung could be summoned next. Police appear to be stepping up on the investigation with only a month left until the statute of limitation runs out on the alleged violation of the election laws. A man who had been questioned as a witness in relation to the corporate card misuse case was found dead on July 26th. He is known to have lent his personal card during the so-called "card switching" incident. Authorities found out the man used to live in a villa owned by Bae and served as a non-standing director in a Gyeonggi-affiliated organization. Such associations raised suspicion that he might have been someone involved in the case instead of just a witness.