[Exclusive] Stock fixer: "I made Kim rich"

[Anchor]

One of the accomplices in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case has been recorded saying that Kim Keon-hee made a fortune thanks to him, according to KBS reporters.

This statement contradicts the claims made by the prosecution when they cleared Kim of any wrongdoing last year.

Reporter Kim Cheong-yun has the exclusive report.

[Report]

In the second half of 2021, just before the prosecution's investigation into the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation began in earnest, a key figure in the first stock manipulation case, known as 'the main player,' Mr. Lee, told an acquaintance, "Kim Keon-hee made a lot of money because of me."

[Lee ○○/Main player in the first Deutsch Motors stock manipulation/2021/voice altered: "Yoon Suk Yeol's wife made a fortune because of me. Kim Keon-hee."]

He also specifically mentions how much Kim invested in total.

[Lee ○○/Main player in the first Deutsche Motors stock manipulation/2021/voice altered: "Kim Keon-hee's securities account is with Shinhan. I bought 1.5 billion and 700 million, a total of 2.2 billion won worth of stocks for her. I placed all the orders."]

He reveals that the investment started when Kim called him, indicating their close relationship.

[Lee ○○/Main player in the first Deutsch Motors stock manipulation/2021/voice altered: "She called and said, 'Oppa, how do I buy this stock?' I asked, 'How much do you have?']

Mr. Lee also suggests that Kim was aware of the stock manipulation or at least recognized that it could be problematic.

[Lee ○○/Main player in the first Deutsch Motors stock manipulation/2021/voice altered: "(The statute of limitations) has passed 10 years. So there's no problem... If Yoon Suk Yeol goes down, it's because of me."]

I directly asked Mr. Lee about the facts.

He admitted, "It is true that I placed stock orders on behalf of Kim," but clarified that he might have exaggerated or relayed what he heard, and he does not know if there were actual profits.

Kim's side stated, "We ask for your understanding that we cannot provide an official response."

After overcoming the threshold of the National Assembly on the fifth attempt, the special investigation team for Kim Keon-hee has begun, and it is noteworthy how individuals involved in the case, who had changed some statements during the prosecution's re-investigation, will testify in the special investigation.

KBS News, Kim Cheong-yun.

[Anchor]

The individual involved in this recording, Mr. Lee, is known as the main player in the first stock manipulation case, accused of manipulating stock prices using Kim's account.

However, the statute of limitations has expired, and the trial has been suspended.

Yet, this recording suggests that Mr. Lee was involved not only as a co-conspirator in price manipulation but also in the overall listing and price support of Deutsch Motors.

There is a possibility that the special prosecutor will re-examine this matter.

Reporter Lee Won-hee continues with the exclusive report.

[Report]

Mr. Lee is known to have led the first Deutsch Motors stock manipulation for about ten months until October 2010.

However, after the 10-year statute of limitations passed, he received a 'dismissal ruling' in 2023, but the recording confirms that he was involved in the stock price of Deutsch Motors around 2010.

Deutsch Motors went public by merging with the listed company 'Dar & Co' at the end of 2008, and Mr. Lee claims he introduced Dar & Co and invested a large sum of money.

[Lee ○○/Main player in the first Deutsch Motors stock manipulation/2021/voice altered: "I bought 19 billion won worth of (Dar & Co) stocks by myself. I introduced Dar & Co here. So I said to merge with this."]

Mr. Lee also states that he was involved in Deutsch Motors' attempted acquisition by Blackstone in 2011 and the establishment of the subsidiary Deutsch Financial in 2013.

[Lee ○○/Main player in the first Deutsch Motors stock manipulation/2021/voice altered: "When we first created the finance company, I provided 5 billion to Chairman Kwon Oh-soo of Deutsch Motors, but he never paid me back."]

The listing of Deutsch Motors and the establishment of its subsidiary may be related to Kim's stock manipulation allegations.

Kim invested a total of 500 million won with her mother before Deutsch Motors went public and also invested 200 million won during the establishment of Deutsch Financial.

This raises the possibility that the special prosecutor views Mr. Lee as a key figure involved in the overall case and may re-investigate him.

[Hong Han-bit/Lawyer: "He was involved in the initial reverse listing and later in the establishment of Deutsch Finance, so he is someone who is very closely connected. Only someone who knows this entire process could know."]

If Mr. Lee's role is redefined, the special prosecutor may need to reconsider Kim's involvement in the crime.

KBS News, Lee Won-hee.