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| ▲ President Lee Jae Myung speaks during an official event in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Sept. 5, 2025. (Yonhap) |
Lee-investigation
Lee orders review of special inquiry into loss of key evidence in ex-first lady's probe
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung has ordered countermeasures, including a review of the possibility of launching an independent inquiry, over the loss of key evidence related to bribery and other allegations currently under investigation against an ex-first lady, according to his office Saturday.
Lee recently instructed Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho to review response measures, including a potential special counsel probe, in connection with the incident, according to the presidential office.
His instruction involves the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office, which initially investigated allegations against Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, before transferring the probe to a special counsel investigation team.
Last December, the prosecutors office confiscated bundles of cash from the home of a shaman accused of delivering alleged bribes to Kim from a religious group, but lost a sticker and a note attached to the bundles.
The markers, attached by the Bank of Korea -- the issuer of the bills -- carry key information about the dates when the bills were tallied as well as the identities of the inspectors.
With their disappearance, the prosecutors office failed to trace the source of the confiscated bills, prompting suspicions of mismanagement and shoddy investigation.
Since the justice minister's instruction last month, the Supreme Prosecutors Office had launched an investigation into the loss.
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