[News Today] Phone in Kim Keon-hee probe seized

[LEAD]
Lee Jong-ho, a close aide to former First Lady Kim Keon-hee and a key figure in the Marine's death case, smashed and discarded his phone after coming under investigation. KBS has exclusively found that the special counsel has actually secured the device. The phone was used from the time of the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation probe through the Marine's death case, making it a potential key piece of evidence against Kim.

[REPORT]
Former Black Pearl Invest CEO Lee Jong-ho had managed former first lady Kim Keon-hee's account during the Deutsch Motors stock price manipulation.

He is also a key figure accused of lobbying to exonerate Lim Seong-geun, a former commander of the Marine Corps 1st Division, who was initially named a suspect in the Marine’s death case.

Lee Jong-ho / Former CEO of Black Pearl Invest (Aug. 5)
[Did you ask Kim Keon-hee for any favors?] ...

The special counsel team investigating the marine's death raided Lee on July 10 and seized his mobile phone.

But five days later, Lee showed up at Jamwon Hangang Park along with his aide carrying another mobile phone that he had hid earlier. The two dropped the phone on the ground and stomped on it to destroy it. They later tossed the broken phone in a trash bin about 200 meters away.

An official from the special counsel team saw that and obtained the phone.

The phone in question was used between 2022 and 2023, when a probe and trial into the Deutsch Motors stock price manipulation were underway and when the Marine's death occurred.

In other words, the special counsel team has obtained an even more important phone than the one found earlier during the raid.

Lee's aide has testified that he acted at Lee's order.

The investigators plan to grill him over alleged evidence destruction instigation.

The results of a forensic analysis of the phone will be shared with the special counsel investigating Kim Keon-hee, as it could be crucial in proving the former first lady's involvement.

Lee claims it is not evidence destruction because the phone in question had been seized by prosecutors in the past but was returned to him later.