South Korean prosecutors raid former first lady’s home in corruption probe

ANKARA

South Korean prosecutors raided the home of former first lady Kim Keon Hee on Friday in connection with an investigation into corruption allegations, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team carried out the search and seizure at Kim's residence and the office of Covana Contents, an arts exhibition planning company she previously ran, ahead of her scheduled appearance for questioning on Aug. 6.

Prosecutors are investigating several allegations against Kim, including her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and allegedly accepting a luxury bag illegally.

On Thursday, Min expanded two separate investigations involving Kim and ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to include Cambodia and Mongolia, examining whether a Unification Church official delivered luxury gifts to Kim to gain influence on development projects, including a $1.5 billion fund increase for Cambodia, a UN office bid and a news channel acquisition.

The other investigation, under special counsel Cho Eun-seok, is probing whether South Korea’s military intelligence tried to contact North Korea’s embassy in Mongolia days before Yoon announced a martial law decree on Dec. 3. Two intelligence officers were detained in Mongolia for the attempted contact.

A special counsel team also questioned former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min on Friday over his alleged involvement in Yoon's short-lived imposition of martial law in December last year.