Yoon, Kim Keon Hee received W2.19b in prison funds since detention — 8 times presidential salary

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee have received a combined 2.19 billion won in prison funds since their detention last year — roughly eight times the annual presidential salary.

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Sung-yoon disclosed the total at Thursday's national audit of the Ministry of Justice by the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee. According to Lee, Yoon received approximately 1.95 billion won in prison funds between his re-detention on July 10 last year and Sept. 9, while Kim received around 240 million won since her detention on Aug. 12 last year. The combined total of 2.19 billion won is eight times this year's presidential salary of approximately 270 million won.

"The deposits themselves are a problem, but corrections officers are being used like personal assistants to process withdrawals," Lee said. He added that the withdrawal procedure involves three steps and called for reform, noting that Thursday's national audit had already heard testimony about a severe shortage of corrections officers at detention facilities. Lee also urged the National Tax Service to explore ways to impose gift taxes on the funds, saying the agency had told him it was unable to act because it had not been notified of the deposits. "Please let us know what options exist for taxation before the comprehensive national audit wraps up," he said.

Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chair Seo Young-gyo, also of the Democratic Party, raised concerns about a Justice Ministry guideline on the management of inmates' stored valuables, under which facilities hold up to 4 million won per inmate for spending and transfer any excess to a personal deposit account. "Why is the corrections bureau going out of its way to make withdrawals for them?" Seo said. "If 2 billion won flows in per year, and he's serving a life sentence, he could end up worth 100 billion won."

Acting Justice Minister Lee Jin-su, who also serves as vice minister of justice, acknowledged the concerns. "There are aspects of the excessive deposits that do not align with the original purpose of prison funds, and many problems have been pointed out," he said. "We will actively review possible improvements."