(LEAD) Police to drop academic falsification charges against first lady

(ATTN: UPDATES with official's remarks throughout)

SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- Police have decided to wrap up an investigation into academic falsification charges against first lady Kim Keon-hee without sending the case to the prosecution for possible indictment, a ranking police official said Monday.

Kim has been accused of fraud, obstruction of business and document forgery for falsifying some of her academic and career credentials on resumes she submitted to several universities between 2001 and 2014 while applying for a teaching job.

A civic group and others filed complaints against Kim in the run-up to the March presidential election, and the first lady has recently undergone written questioning over the accusations.

Nam Gu-jun, the chief of the National Office of Investigation, said the police decided last Friday not to refer Kim to the prosecution for indictment because the statute of limitations on some of the charges already expired.

The police also determined it was difficult to recognize the charges given "various circumstances" of the investigation, he also said during a regular press conference.

Within this week, the police plan to formally notify accusers of the latest decision, he added.

According to sources, the police have perceived some of the academic and career credentials on the first lady's resumes in question were wrong, but concluded they were in general factual.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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