South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee (C), wife of impeached former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, was arrested late Tuesday after a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, Pool Photo by Yonhap/EPA
Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, was arrested on a range of charges late Tuesday night, including stock price manipulation, accepting luxury goods in exchange for political favors and meddling in election nominations.
The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Kim after a hearing on Tuesday, special prosecutor Min Joong-ki’s office said in a brief statement.
In granting the warrant, the court cited the risk of Kim destroying evidence, news agency Yonhap reported.
Kim’s arrest marks the first time in South Korean history that a former president and his wife have been jailed.
Yoon, who was removed from office in April, is being held at the Seoul Detention Center on separate allegations related to his botched Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.
Among the charges he faces is insurrection, which is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Prosecutors allege that Kim made around $580,000 in a price-rigging scheme involving the stocks of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, between 2009 and 2012.
She is also accused of receiving Chanel handbags and a diamond necklace from the Unification Church via a shaman as a bribe for business favors.
A third charge claims the former presidential couple influenced candidate nominations for Yoon’s People Power Party in local and parliamentary elections.
After questioning by the special counsel last week, Kim told reporters that she was sorry for “causing concern to the people,” calling herself a “nobody.” She has reportedly denied all allegations against her.
Kim is being held at the Nambu Detention Center in southwestern Seoul, separate from her husband.
She is expected to appear at special counsel Min Joong-ki’s office on Thursday for questioning, according to local reports.
