Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Wife Arrested over Bribery, Stock Manipulation, and Meddling in Politics

SOUTH KOREA – The spouse of the imprisoned former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was apprehended by authorities on Tuesday as they seek to bring charges against her for multiple alleged crimes, including bribery, stock manipulation, and interference in the selection of a political candidate.

The Seoul Central District Court granted a special prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant late Tuesday, citing concerns that Kim Keon Hee may attempt to destroy evidence.

This investigation into Kim is one of three ongoing probes by special prosecutors under South Korea’s new liberal government, focusing on the presidency of Yoon, a conservative leader who was removed from office in April and re-arrested last month over the imposition of martial law in December.

The downfall of Yoon marked an extension of a decades-long trend of South Korean presidencies ending in disrepute. With Yoon and Kim now both behind bars due to criminal allegations, they become the first former presidential couple to face jail time together.

Yoon’s sudden, poorly executed power grab on December 3 occurred during a seemingly routine standoff with the liberals, whom he described as “anti-state” forces exploiting their legislative majority to impede his agenda. Critics have speculated that Yoon’s actions may have been partly motivated by mounting allegations against his wife, which negatively impacted his approval ratings and provided ammunition for political opponents.

Upon her arrival at the Seoul courthouse on Tuesday for a hearing regarding the arrest warrant, Kim declined to speak with reporters. She is currently detained at a facility in southern Seoul, separate from where Yoon is held. Further questioning by investigators is expected to take place on Thursday, allowing for an extension of her detention up to 20 days before formal charges are filed.

The investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, appointed in June by President Lee Jae Myung, initially questioned Kim for approximately seven hours last week before deciding to seek her arrest.

During her questioning last week, Kim issued a cryptic apology for causing public concern while also suggesting that she would deny the accusations against her, presenting herself as an insignificant figure.

Investigators suspect that Kim and Yoon exerted undue influence on the conservative People Power Party to nominate a specific candidate in a 2022 legislative by-election, allegedly at the request of election broker Myung Tae-kyun. Myung faces accusations of conducting biased opinion surveys for Yoon using manipulated data that potentially aided him during the party’s presidential primaries and subsequent election.

Kim is also linked to numerous corruption allegations, including claims that she received luxury gifts via an intermediary for a Unification Church official seeking business favors, as well as possible involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme tied to a local BMW dealership company.

On Tuesday, one of Kim’s associates was arrested upon his arrival from Vietnam, as authorities look into suspicions that he used his connection to the former first lady to secure millions of dollars in business investments for his financially struggling company.

Investigators also raided a construction company on Monday over allegations that its chairman purchased a luxury necklace worth approximately $43,000 – believed to be the same one Kim wore during a 2022 European trip with Yoon. Investigators suspect that this necklace may have been linked to the hiring of the chairman’s son-in-law as the chief of staff for then-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Yoon’s second-in-command, shortly before the presidential trip. Kim has reportedly denied the allegations, claiming that the necklace she wore in Europe was not an authentic piece but a borrowed imitation.

During his tenure, Yoon rejected calls for investigations into his wife as unfounded political attacks and vetoed multiple bills from the liberal-led legislature seeking independent probes into the allegations against her.

Following his election in June, President Lee Jae Myung approved legislation to launch comprehensive special investigations into Yoon’s martial law debacle, the allegations against his wife, and the 2023 drowning death of a marine during a flood rescue operation – an incident that liberals claim was covered up by Yoon’s government.

Yoon’s martial law decree lasted only hours before a quorum of lawmakers managed to break through a blockade of heavily armed soldiers and vote to revoke the measure. He was impeached by lawmakers on December 14 and formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April.

Yoon, who was released from prison in March and now faces a high-stakes trial on rebellion and other charges, has consistently resisted investigators’ efforts to compel him to answer questions about his wife.