Special Prosecutors to Summon Wife of Samsung Chairman

Special prosecutors probing allegations of Samsung Group slush funds announced Tuesday that it would summon Samsung chairman’s wife Hong Ra-hee Wednesday, over suspicions that she used the group’s slush funds to buy high-priced paintings.

Hong Ra-hee, director of Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, has been subject to written questions regarding her alleged involvement in the sale of Everland convertible bonds at a giveaway price to her son. However, this will be the first time that Hong has personally been summoned for questioning.

Yun Jeong-seok, assistant special prosecutor of the investigation team, said, “We will clarify suspicions and claims over her purchase of expensive works of art and investigate the details of how she bought the paintings and how the money was raised.”

The special investigation team will ask the chairman’s wife whether she knew that slush funds had been raised under borrowed names and whether she used that money to purchase high-priced paintings.

The investigation team prevented Hong from going overseas in February. It has also interrogated Hong Song-won, director of Seomi Gallery, and Lee Hyeon-suk, director of Kukje Gallery, who allegedly bought the expensive paintings for Hong Ra-hee.

The chairman’s wife will also be interrogated over her alleged involvement in the selling of Everland convertible bonds to her son.

The special investigation team questioned seven Samsung Group executives, including Vice Chairman Lee Hak-soo, Tuesday, over suspicions that they had raised a slush fund under borrowed names and illegally transferred management control.

Special prosecutors are also considering measures to question incumbent National Intelligence Service Director Kim Sung-ho over his alleged involvement in a bribery case. He will be questioned at an undisclosed location, instead of at the special prosecution team’s office. Samsung Group’s former attorney Kim Yong-chul claimed that he had given money to the spy agency director to lobby illegally.

Though prosecutors have decided to clear Kim Sung-ho of suspicion due to the statute of limitations, they did summon him to verify the attorney’s claim.

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