SEOUL - In a significant development in the ongoing investigation into alleged data fabrication, Kim Su-hyun, the former presidential chief of staff for policy during the Moon Jae-in government, appeared for questioning by prosecutors on Monday. The inquiry centers on accusations of economic data manipulation under the previous administration.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim faced questioning over charges of abuse of authority and violations of the Statistics Act. Before his tenure as the presidential policy chief, Kim had served as a senior presidential secretary for social affairs under Moon Jae-in's government. This investigation follows the Board of Audit and Inspection's findings, which claimed that the Moon administration's presidential office and the land ministry applied undue pressure on statistical agencies. The alleged manipulation involved official data on income, employment, and housing prices between 2017 and 2021, purportedly to support the government's economic and real estate policies.
The state audit agency has accused Kim of leaking confidential land ministry data on housing price fluctuations to the Blue House before its public release, purportedly following directives from Jang Ha-sung, another former presidential policy chief. This case marks Kim as the latest in a series of high-ranking officials from the Moon administration to be scrutinized over this scandal. Other notable figures questioned include Jang Ha-sung, Kim Sang-jo and Lee Ho-seung, both former chief presidential secretaries for policy, and Kim Hyun-mi, the former Land Minister.