Investigation into Alleged Favorable Investments Linked to Kim Geon-hee

On July 20, 2025, it was reported that the special investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki has summoned Lee Mo, the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Kakao Mobility, for questioning regarding a controversial investment involving IMS Mobility (formerly known as Be My Car). This company, associated with Kim Geon-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, is under scrutiny for allegedly receiving 18.4 billion KRW in preferential investments from major corporations.

The investigation team interrogated Lee on July 19 about the circumstances surrounding a 3 billion KRW investment made by Kakao Mobility through the private equity firm Oasis Equity Partners in June 2023. At the time of the investment, Lee was serving as the CFO of Kakao Mobility and was known to have a close relationship with Kim Geon-hee. While Kakao Mobility maintains that the investment in IMS was a standard business decision, the special prosecutor's office suspects that Lee's personal ties to Kim may have influenced this financial decision. Recently, Lee has been placed under a travel ban.

Initially, the special prosecutor's office planned to question Kim Beom-soo, the founder of Kakao, on July 17, but this was postponed due to health issues. Consequently, the team opted to interview Lee first to clarify the investment details and whether Kim Geon-hee had any influence over the decision. Although Lee is still employed at Kakao Mobility, he stepped down from his executive position last year after being held accountable by financial authorities for inflating the company's revenue.

Additionally, the special prosecutor's office has issued an arrest warrant for Kim, who is suspected of fleeing to a third country after traveling to Vietnam. Measures have been taken to invalidate his passport and issue an Interpol red notice.

The investigation also includes inquiries into IMS Mobility's rental of vehicles to the special investigation team led by Park Young-soo, which operated from December 2016. The special prosecutor's office is looking into whether former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was the head of the investigation team at that time, had any involvement in selecting the rental car company, as this is typically handled by the investigation support staff.

IMS Mobility has stated that they provided a short-term rental of 5 to 10 vehicles for about a week, claiming that the rental costs were in line with market rates and that no preferential treatment was given or received.