Seoul: A special counsel team on Monday sought an eight-year prison sentence for an associate of former first lady Kim Keon Hee, who is currently facing charges of embezzlement. The associate, Kim Ye-seong, is known as the "butler" of the former first lady's family.
According to Yonhap News Agency, special counsel Min Joong-ki's team also requested that Kim Ye-seong be ordered to forfeit 430 million won (approximately US$290,000). The associate was indicted in August, accused of embezzling 2.43 billion won from IMS Mobility, a car rental company he co-founded with CEO Jo Young-tak.
The special counsel team alleges that IMS Mobility received 18.4 billion won in investments from various companies, including Kakao Mobility Corp. and Shinhan Bank, through a private equity firm in 2023. The team suspects these investments were influenced by the company's ties to Kim Ye-seong and the former first lady.
In court, the team stated that Kim Ye-seong used his illicit gains for personal expenses, purchasing real estate and stocks valued at around 3 billion won. However, the team has not established any direct link between the alleged embezzlement by the associate and the former first lady.