Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee may soon appear together in court as the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 33 summons her as a central witness in a high-profile case involving free opinion polls.
Summons Issued for Key Figures
The court, presided over by Judge Lee Jin-gwan, issued summons on March 17 for Yoon’s former chief of staff, prosecutor Myeong Si, and three others including ex-Mirae Hankook Party deputy chief Kang Hye-kyung and party chief Kim Tae-yeol. These individuals face questioning in late May regarding allegations of conducting unauthorized opinion polls.
Investigators highlight that Myeong Si allegedly performed 58 free polls—36 official and 22 unofficial—from June 2021 to March 2022 on behalf of Yoon’s aides, totaling around 2.7 billion won. Public records confirm this scale of activity.
Denials and Internal Reporting Claims
Yoon’s former chief of staff denies any payment for the polls, describing them as unofficial briefings. He states, “The results were fully reported internally to Yoon’s office, aligning with party procedures during election committee meetings.”
Myeong Si counters that only 14 polls were actual joint efforts, with five official polls later refunded. He adds, “Direct polls to Yoon’s office numbered three, and others were handled similarly for relevant staff.”
Kim Keon-hee’s legal team argues the financial scale is minor, noting, “Even if three polls went directly to Yoon’s office, selected amounts ranged from 28 to 30 million won. Expanding to 58 captures unrelated efforts, inflating the issue.” They question summoning victims to trial.
Related Court Rulings and Pending Decisions
A separate panel in Criminal Division 27, under Judge Woo In-seong, rejected summoning Kim Keon-hee for one incident, stating, “No evidence shows Yoon’s aides instructed the polls, nor any crime warranting her testimony.” Two summons remain pending.
Exchanges between Yoon’s office and Myeong Si reportedly included intern files and ARS poll data. In July 2021, Yoon sent Myeong an interview file urging, “Please provide broad coverage.” Myeong responded via text, proposing ARS polls with 15% favorable and 85% unfavorable rates to sway chief staff support.
