Former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee Arrested on Corruption Charges

Kim Keon Hee, the wife of South Korea’s jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol, was arrested on Tuesday following a Seoul Central District Court’s approval of a special prosecutor’s warrant. The court cited concerns that Kim posed a risk of destroying evidence in an ongoing investigation into allegations of bribery, stock manipulation, and undue influence in a political nomination process. This marks a historic moment, as Kim and Yoon become the first former South Korean presidential couple to be detained simultaneously over criminal allegations.

The arrest follows a probe led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, appointed in June by South Korea’s new liberal President Lee Jae Myung. Kim, who was questioned for seven hours last week, is suspected of influencing the conservative People Power Party’s candidate selection for a 2022 legislative by-election at the behest of election broker Myung Tae-kyun. Myung is accused of manipulating opinion surveys to aid Yoon’s presidential campaign. Additionally, Kim faces allegations of accepting luxury gifts through a Unification Church intermediary and involvement in a stock manipulation scheme linked to a BMW dealership.

Investigators also raided a construction company on Monday over claims its chairman purchased a $43,000 luxury necklace, believed to be the same one Kim wore during a 2022 Europe trip with Yoon. Kim has denied these allegations, claiming the necklace was a borrowed imitation. A close associate of Kim was arrested Tuesday after arriving from Vietnam, suspected of leveraging his ties to her for business investments.

Kim, detained at a facility in southern Seoul separate from Yoon’s, faces further questioning on Thursday. Prosecutors can hold her for up to 20 days before filing formal charges. Yoon, ousted in April after a failed martial law decree in December, is also in custody, facing charges of rebellion and resisting questioning about his wife’s allegations.

The investigations, launched under President Lee, also cover Yoon’s martial law attempt and the 2023 death of a marine during a flood rescue, which liberals allege was covered up. Yoon’s brief martial law imposition, described as poorly planned, ended after lawmakers overturned it, leading to his impeachment on December 14 and removal by the Constitutional Court.

Kim remained silent during her court appearance on Tuesday, though she previously issued a vague apology, denying the allegations and describing herself as “insignificant.” As South Korea grapples with this unprecedented scandal, the investigations underscore the nation’s ongoing struggle with political corruption.