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Official's notes prior to suicide allege special counsel coercion

Published: 13 Oct. 2025, 14:25 Updated: 13 Oct. 2025, 18:22

The Gongheung-ri neighborhood in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi [SON SUNG-BAE]

A 57-year-old Yangpyeong County official who died after questioning by the special counsel investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee left behind more than 10 pages of handwritten notes describing alleged coercion and pressure, according to his family and lawyer. The contents reportedly match a one-page memo made public last week.

The official, identified only by his surname Jeong, was found dead at his home on Oct. 10 — eight days after he was questioned by investigators probing whether Kim’s family received improper benefits from a land development project in Yangpyeong’s Gongheung District.

The Gyeonggi Yangpyeong Police Precinct said it plans to review all potential questions surrounding Jeong’s death. The police will ask the National Forensic Service to conduct a handwriting analysis of Jeong’s notes and to perform an autopsy on Monday.

Jeong’s family and attorney Park Kyung-ho said that the longer set of notes reiterates the claims already made in the earlier one-page memo, which was disclosed last Wednesday. The two said they met Jeong on Oct. 8, two days before his death. Handwriting experts have confirmed that the longer notes appear to be in Jeong’s handwriting.

Police said they showed the letters to Jeong’s older brother during questioning. Responding to criticism that an autopsy was proceeding against the family’s wishes, police said they had “clearly explained the necessity of the procedure to remove any possibility of doubt.”

The one-page memo dated Oct. 3 — the day after Jeong was questioned by the special counsel — read: “I’m exhausted and struggling from constant coaxing and pressure. Even when I say I don’t know or can’t remember, they keep pushing me. After being humiliated like this, I’ve lost the will to continue my work or my life. I thought I had served the residents faithfully as a public servant, but now I feel deep shame.”

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Aug. 12 after attending a warrant hearing. [YONHAP]

Jeong had served as a team leader in the county department responsible for calculating development fees when the Kim family’s real estate project in Gongheung was being completed. Before the special counsel was established, he had been cleared of any wrongdoing in an earlier police investigation.

Attorney Park said he met Jeong on Oct. 8 after receiving the memo “through an undisclosed source” and remained in contact with him until his death, discussing legal representation.

“During our meeting, he repeated the same claims — that the special counsel had conducted a coercive investigation,” Park told the JoongAng Ilbo. “He was preparing to file a complaint against the special counsel’s team for abuse of authority and falsifying official documents.”

Jeong’s funeral was initially scheduled for Sunday, but was postponed due to the autopsy planned for Monday. His body has been placed at the funeral home, and Yangpyeong County is set to hold an official memorial ceremony at 8:20 a.m. Tuesday at the county government building.

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191, or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SON SUNG-BAE, MOON SANG-HYEOK [[email protected]]