Prosecutors raid home of late President Roh's wife over alleged slush fund

On August 21, prosecutors conducted a search and seizure at the home of Kim Ok-suk, the late former President Roh Tae-woo's wife, in western Seoul, according to legal sources. The raid was conducted due to suspicions of tax evasion and concealing criminal proceeds, reported by civic groups. The allegations stem from a potential slush fund, involving Roh's daughter, Soh-yeong, and son, Jae-heon, who is now the nation's ambassador to China.

Roh, who served as president from 1988 to 1993, passed away in 2021. The roots of the allegations were traced back to the divorce proceedings between Soh-yeong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won. Roh claimed that President Roh had given 30 billion won (US$21.7 million) to Chey's father, which her side argued significantly contributed to SK Group's growth.

However, the Supreme Court confirmed their divorce in October without ruling on the existence of the alleged fund. The couple remains in a legal dispute over the division of their property. Roh had been embroiled in a slush fund scandal during his presidency, leading to a 1997 forfeiture of 262.8 billion won for hiding illegal slush funds.

Out of this amount, 240 billion won was recovered from Roh and his family, while 23 billion won was paid in 2013 by his relatives, including his brother and former in-laws.