Ex-President Yoon and Kim Keon-hee’s Legal Team Defends ₩2.19 Billion in Prison Deposits as “Voluntary Support

Legal representatives for Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee have defended a total of 2.19 billion won in prisoner-of-living funds collected during their detentions, stating the money represents voluntary encouragement and solidarity from tens of thousands of citizens, The Hankyoreh reported.

Legal Defense Challenges National Assembly Disclosures

The defense team’s public response arrived via a Facebook statement issued by attorney Yu Jeong-hwa on October 10. Yu asserted that the funds deposited into the prisoner accounts did not originate from large conglomerates or concealed corporate backers. Instead, the legal representative emphasized that the financial inflows comprise more than 45,000 individual transactions from citizens across the country contributing small sums of 10,000 or 20,000 won.

This counter-statement directly addressed figures brought to light during a National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee audit of the Ministry of Justice on October 8. Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Seong-yun revealed that Yoon received 1.95 billion won in prisoner funds following his re-arrest on July 10 of the previous year through September 9 of this year at the Seoul Detention Center. Meanwhile, Kim accumulated 240 million won at the Seoul Southern Detention Center between her August 12 arrest last year and September 9 of this year. Combined, the 2.19 billion won total amounts to roughly eight times the annual presidential salary of 270 million won.

Controversy Over Taxation and Political Fundraising

The accumulation of these funds triggered public debate regarding whether the prisoner-deposit system functions as a legal loophole for political fundraising under the banner of the “Yoon Again” movement. Legally, prisoner-of-living funds fall under gift tax provisions. However, tracking individual transfer details remains practically unfeasible due to data collection limitations. Furthermore, transfers under 500,000 won sent without consideration by individuals who hold no legal obligation of support are legally exempt from taxation.

Despite these tax exemptions, critics have questioned the immense volume of the deposits. Yu forcefully dismissed these concerns as a targeted political attack. The attorney argued that utilizing the funds to secure necessary legal representation and cover litigation costs for numerous impending trials constitutes a legitimate and lawful exercise of self-defense rather than a crime or a special privilege.

Accusations of Judicial Interference

Yu characterized the opposition’s focus on the accounts as a defamatory attempt to brand routine legal defense preparations as illicit financial activity. The defense counsel stated that labeling basic efforts to secure counsel and defense rights as a mere prisoner-fund scandal amounts to an unacceptable judicial obstruction within a constitutional state. Furthermore, the legal representative accused the Democratic Party of conducting a politically motivated witch hunt during the parliamentary audit proceedings.