Anti-corruption official leading South Korea's first lady probe found dead: summary

What we know

• A senior South Korean anti-corruption official, who led investigations into first lady Kim Keon Hee and former opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, was found dead on August 8.
• The bureau chief surnamed Kim, was found dead in his Sejong apartment around 9:30 p.m., local time. on Thursday by a subordinate who checked on him after he missed work and calls for several days.
• The deceased oversaw administrative investigations into corruption, including cases involving the First Lady's Dior bag and Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung's helicopter airlift after being stabbed.
• Kim reportedly told others that political pressure to close the First Lady's case conflicted with his conscience. He recommended passing the case to another authority. Police found a short suicide note in his apartment, revealing his internal struggle.
• On June 9, the agency declared that First Lady Kim Keon-hee had not violated the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act by accepting a luxury handbag and closed the investigation. Chung Seung-yun, the vice chairperson for anti-corruption, explained that the Act does not regulate the behaviour of a public official's spouse.

What they said

Democratic Party lawmaker and spokesperson Noh Jong-myun released a written statement, saying, “We mourn the loss of a civil servant who worked for the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, and vow that the Democratic Party will get to the bottom of what happened. Anybody who is even partially responsible for the death of Kim should come forward, tell the truth, and apologise.”