A special counsel team requested that former first lady Kim Keon-hee appear for questioning on Thursday about a painting that prosecutors claim she accepted in exchange for political favors.

If Kim complies, it will be her first appearance since being indicted on August 29 while in custody.

Investigators say that former prosecutor Kim Sang-min purchased the work in question, a Lee Ufan painting worth 140 million won, or about 100-thousand U.S. dollars, and delivered it to Kim Keon-hee's brother while seeking his party's nomination ahead of the 2024 general election.

Both Kim Keon-hee and Kim Sang-min deny the charges, though a court placed the ex-prosecutor in pretrial detention last week.

The team is also examining whether Kim Keon-hee influenced Kim Sang-min's eventual appointment to the National Intelligence Service.

Separately, investigators questioned a former county chief and a broker about a shaman named Jeon Seong-bae, also known as “Geonjin Beopsa,” who the team believes interfered in candidate nominations ahead of local elections in 2022 with the former first lady’s involvement.