Will Yoon be accomplice?

[Anchor]

Mrs. Kim reportedly asked her legal team today (Aug. 14) if she could live with her husband again.

The special investigation team is also considering whether Mrs. Kim and former President Yoon can be viewed as accomplices in bribery.

Receiving expensive gifts and granting a position is not something the First Lady can do alone.

Oh Seung-mok reports.

[Report]

Gifts such as necklaces, brooches, and earrings, known as 'state visit accessories,' were followed by the appointment of the 'son-in-law of Seohui Construction.'

[Han Duck-soo/Former Prime Minister/June 2022: "(President Yoon Suk Yeol) sent a resume of former prosecutor Park Seong-geun a few days later."]

After a high-priced watch was delivered, a direct contract with the presidential office followed.

[Oh Jung-hee/Deputy Special Prosecutor probing Kim Keon-hee/July 12: "We are investigating allegations of bribery related to the import company of robotic dogs associated with the presidential office's security."]

The brokerage bribery allegation applies because Kim Keon-hee, who received the money, is not a public official.

In this case, the party that provided the money is excluded from punishment.

Chairman Lee Bong-gwan of Seohui Construction may have strategically submitted a confession letter knowing this.

However, the special investigation team plans to prove that Mrs. Kim received money and that her husband facilitated the requests, establishing a 'accomplice relationship.'

If it is a solo crime by Mrs. Kim, it would be bribery, but if her husband, who was a president, is an accomplice, it constitutes 'bribery offense.'

If the bribery offense is recognized, the person who delivered the 'money and valuables' can also be punished.

The special investigation team plans to consider applying the 'economic community' legal principle if it is difficult to confirm whether former President Yoon was aware of the receipt of money due to his continued refusal to cooperate with the investigation.

The Ministry of Justice has decided to stop providing a 'private attorney meeting room' to former President Yoon, who refuses arrest, and to treat him like a regular inmate.

Additionally, the Seoul Detention Center's head was reassigned due to the failure to execute the arrest warrant.

This is KBS News Oh Seung-mok.