LEE JAE-MYUNG'S WIFE QUESTIONED

[Anchor Lead]

The wife of main opposition Democratic Party lawmaker and former presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung appeared before the police on Tuesday to be questioned about allegations that she used a government credit card for personal use while her husband was Gyeonggido Province governor. She returned home after being grilled for five hours. The police appear to be in the final stages of the investigation after spending considerable time questioning figures surrounding the wife.

[Pkg]

Lee Jae-myung's wife appeared before police for the first time since allegations of misusing government credit card emerged about six months ago. Kim Hye-kyung did not respond to any inquiries by reporters.

[Soundbite] Kim Hye-kyung(Wife of Lee Jae-myung(After questioning)) : "(Did you acknowledge the allegations?) ... (Did you order the gov’t credit card use?) ..."

Initially, the questioning was expected to last late into the night but Kim was spotted returning home after 5 hours. Investigative materials such as recordings and testimony have been secured, some of which were released to the media. Therefore Kim is believed to have concisely conveyed her stance to the police. Her husband also issued a statement via social media, reiterating the previous argument that his wife never ordered the use of a government credit card and did not know about the illegality. While denying the allegations, Lee apologized for Kim having received personal assistance from a provincial civil servant. However in the summons request sent to Kim, the police reportedly stated the charge of violating the Public Official Election Act. The charge relates to an incident last year when Kim paid for a meal she had with the wives of three DP lawmakers using a credit card belonging to the Gyeonggido Province government. Another charge she faces is filling out medical prescriptions through another person by proxy. The police are focused on finding out whether Kim ordered or knew about the credit card use. The statute of limitations on the election law expires on September 9. Therefore the police are set to wrap up the case no later than next week and hand it over to the prosecution.