Wife of S. Korea’s jailed ex-president arrested over corruption raps
SEOUL—The wife of South Korea’s jailed former President Yoon Suk-yeol has been arrested as investigators seek to charge her over various suspected crimes, including bribery, stock manipulation and meddling in the selection of a candidate.
In granting a special prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant late Tuesday, the Seoul Central District Court said Kim Keon-hee posed a risk of destroying evidence.
The investigation into Kim is one of three special prosecutor probes launched under Seoul’s new liberal government targeting the presidency of Yoon, a conservative who was removed from office in April and rearrested last month over his brief imposition of martial law in December.
While Yoon’s self-inflicted downfall extended a decadeslong run of South Korean presidencies ending badly, he and Kim are the first former presidential couple to be jailed simultaneously over criminal allegations.
Power grab
Yoon’s surprising yet poorly planned power grab on Dec. 3 came amid a seemingly routine standoff with the liberals, who he described as “antistate” forces abusing their legislative majority to block his agenda. Some political opponents have questioned whether Yoon’s actions were at least partly motivated by growing allegations against his wife, which hurt his approval ratings and gave political ammunition to his rivals.
Kim did not speak to reporters as she arrived at the Seoul court on Tuesday for an hourslong hearing on the warrant request. She is being held at a detention center in southern Seoul, separate from the facility holding Yoon. She is expected to face further questioning on Thursday by investigators, who can extend her detention for up to 20 days before formally filing charges.
The investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, who was appointed in June by new liberal President Lee Jae-myung, initially questioned Kim for about seven hours on Wednesday last week before deciding to seek her arrest.
‘Someone insignificant’
Kim spoke briefly to reporters as she appeared for last week’s questioning, issuing a vague apology for causing public concern but also hinting that she would deny the allegations against her, portraying herself as “someone insignificant.”
