Overview

• A Seoul court granted an arrest warrant late Friday, detaining Kim Ye-seong on grounds he posed a flight risk and could destroy critical evidence.
• Prosecutors allege he embezzled roughly 3.38 billion won (about $2.43 million) from IMS Mobility, a company he co-founded in 2023.
• Investigators say IMS Mobility was undercapitalized when it secured around 18.4 billion won from firms including Kakao Mobility, raising suspicions of influence peddling tied to Kim’s circle.
• Special prosecutors are probing whether any of the embezzled funds or related profits were funneled to benefit the family of former first lady Kim Keon Hee.
• Kim Keon Hee remains in custody on multiple corruption counts and is scheduled for her second special counsel interrogation next week.