Seoul: A special counsel team said Friday it has summoned former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to appear for questioning next week over allegations that a construction company chairman gifted a luxury necklace to former first lady Kim Keon Hee in exchange for his son-in-law's appointment as Han's chief of staff.
According to Yonhap News Agency, special counsel Min Joong-ki's team, which is investigating various criminal allegations involving the former first lady, stated that a summons was sent by mail to Han earlier in the day requesting his appearance as a reference at 10 a.m. next Tuesday. Investigators plan to question Han about the appointment of Park Sung-keun as his chief of staff in 2022. This inquiry relates to suspicions that Lee Bong-kwan, his father-in-law and chairman of Seohee Construction, gifted a Van Cleef and Arpels necklace and other jewelry to Kim as bribes for the position, a team official disclosed during a press briefing.
Han is also under investigation by a separate special counsel team handling the case of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched imposition of martial law in December. Last week, the team of special counsel Cho Eun-suk indicted him without physical detention on charges of abetting the ringleader of an insurrection and other offenses.
Meanwhile, Min's team announced it sent a second summons to Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja earlier in the day after she submitted a statement explaining her planned absence from questioning next Monday. Han, who recently underwent a heart procedure, is suspected of involvement in a Church official's delivery of luxury gifts to Kim in 2022, allegedly in exchange for the Yoon administration's favors in various projects pursued by the Church. The special counsel team said it sent the second summons for questioning next Thursday.
It also addressed a recent controversy over special counsel Min's private meeting with Han's lawyer last week, acknowledging concerns and pledging to ensure a "more perfect investigation." The meeting, which took place at Min's office, prompted questions about the appropriateness of such contact during an investigation involving the lawyer's client. Min's team claimed the previous day that the lawyer did not reveal he was handling Han's case and that the two simply exchanged greetings.