Yoon’s wealth under scrutiny

[Anchor]

It is uncertain whether former President Yoon will follow this ruling, but for now, the assets of the former President and his wife have been reported to be around 8 billion won.

This is an increase of about 500 million won compared to last year.

His previous claim of not having money to hire a lawyer seems to be contradicted.

Reporter Jeong Yeon-wook has the story.

[Report]

On July 9, former President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court for a pretrial detention hearing.

He reportedly pleaded with the court, saying he had no money to hire a lawyer and was in a "state of isolation with no one to turn to."

After his arrest, his attorney, Kim Gye-ri, stirred controversy by posting his prison account details on social media, claiming Yoon "entered detention without a single penny."

[Kim Byung-kee/Democratic Party Floor Leader/July 14: "They’re even appealing for prison donations to fuel public sympathy. How can the ringleader of an insurrection ask for sympathy without shame?"]

According to the latest government ethics report, the combined assets of Yoon and his wife total 7.99 billion won, the highest among all retired public officials disclosed this round.

Yoon himself holds around 660 million won in bank deposits.

The rest — roughly 7.32 billion won — is under the name of his wife, Kim Keon-hee.

Their total wealth has increased by about 510 million won over the past year.

This rise is attributed to increased market value of land owned by Kim in Gangsang-myeon, Yangpyeong as well as their apartment in the Acro Vista complex in Seocho-gu, Seoul — along with the president’s salary savings.

Notably, the Yangpyeong land is located near the newly revised terminus of the Seoul–Yangpyeong expressway, which is currently under investigation by the special prosecutor’s team for possible preferential treatment.

Former President Yoon’s mother refused to disclose her assets, stating that she maintains an independent livelihood.

Yoon was originally scheduled to report his assets in March, but due to his detention, he was granted a deferral and submitted the disclosure belatedly.

This is Jeong Yeon-wook, KBS News.