Yoon probe suspect granted bail

[Anchor]

The court has granted bail to Myung Tae-kyun and former lawmaker Kim Young-sun, key figures in the alleged nomination interference case involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

Myung was released today (4.9) after being detained for five months.

Prosecutors investigating the case are currently coordinating the schedule to summon First Lady Kim.

Reporter Choi Yoo-kyung has the details.

[Report]

The Changwon District Court has approved the bail applications of Myung Tae-kyun and former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun, both indicted on charges of so-called "nomination trading."

The two were arrested in November of last year and have now been released after five months.

The court cited the difficulty of concluding the trial before the end of the detention period and the need to protect their right to a fair defense.

They have been indicted for allegedly exchanging 80 million won related to the nomination of Kim's constituency in Changwon, from August 2022 to November of the following year.

They were also charged with receiving 240 million won from preliminary candidates related to the local elections in June 2022.

Both are central figures in the alleged involvement of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife in nomination interference.

The core of the allegation is that the presidential couple received 81 opinion polls free of charge from Myung since the last presidential election and, in return, helped secure Kim’s nomination.

[Yoon Suk Yeol, then President-elect - Myung Tae-kyun/May 9, 2022: "I said, 'Just give it to Kim Young-sun,' but there’s a lot of talk in the party...."]

[Kim Keon-hee - Myung Tae-kyun/May 9, 2022: "The president-elect just called. Anyway, don't use his name and just push it through."]

After taking over the case from the Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office in February, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office is now coordinating a schedule to summon First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

This time, they plan to directly summon her to the prosecutor's office for questioning, and there may also be a direct investigation of former President Yoon, who lost his immunity from prosecution due to the Constitutional Court's impeachment ruling.

KBS News, Choi Yoo-kyung.