Kim Keon Hee, the wife of South Korea’s jailed former president Yoon Suk Yeol, has been taken into custody on charges ranging from stock price manipulation to bribery, marking an unprecedented moment in the country’s political history as both a former president and first lady face imprisonment.
Former first lady Kim denied all charges during a four-hour court hearing in Seoul on Tuesday, but the court issued a detention warrant, citing the risk that she may destroy evidence, reports BBC.
South Korea has a history of former presidents being indicted and imprisoned. However, this is the first time both the former president and the former first lady have been jailed.
Yoon was detained in January to face trial over a failed martial law bid last year that plunged the country into chaos and eventually led to his ouster.
Prosecutors allege that Kim, 52, made over 800 million won ($577,940; £428,000) by participating in a price-rigging scheme involving the stocks of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea. While the scheme allegedly began before Yoon became president, it continued to cast a shadow throughout his presidency.
She is also accused of accepting two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace as bribes from the controversial Unification Church in exchange for business favours. Among other allegations, prosecutors say Kim meddled in candidate nominations during the parliamentary by-elections in 2022 and the general elections last year.
Kim appeared solemn at Tuesday’s hearing, wearing a black suit and skirt. “I sincerely apologise for causing trouble despite being a person of no importance,” she told reporters.
While in office, Yoon vetoed three opposition-led bills seeking a special counsel investigation into allegations against Kim, including one veto issued just a week before he declared martial law.
Her arrest comes under a special counsel investigation launched in June by current president Lee Jae Myung, who defeated Yoon in last year’s election and pledged to fully probe allegations involving the former first lady.