South Korean ex-First Lady taken into custody over allegations of fraud and graft
South Korea's Former First Lady Kim Keon-hee Arrested on Corruption Charges
South Korea's former first lady, Kim Keon-hee, is currently in custody following her arrest last week on multiple corruption-related charges. The arrest warrant was issued due to the risk of destruction of evidence.
Kim is accused of violating anti-corruption laws by accepting luxury gifts, including a diamond necklace and Chanel bags, from the Unification Church via a shaman named Jeon Seong-bae in 2022. These gifts allegedly came alongside requests for business favors.
In addition, Kim is accused of artificially inflating the value of shares of an automaker between 2009 and 2012. She is also charged with interfering in the nomination process of parliamentarians from the People Power Party (PPP) and being involved in a stock manipulation scheme involving Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in Korea.
During her interrogations, Kim has mostly exercised her right to remain silent. The shaman Jeon Seong-bae, who is accused of delivering these luxury gifts and related requests, is awaiting a court decision on his potential arrest. The special counsel has also called another associate of Kim, Lee Jong-ho, for questioning related to the stock manipulation case.
Kim has apologized and promised full cooperation with the investigation. The arrest of Kim Keon-hee marks the first time both members of a former presidential couple are in custody in South Korea.
Meanwhile, the former conservative president, Yoon Suk-yeol, is also in custody. Yoon was replaced as president in June, having been charged with imposing martial law briefly, causing prolonged political chaos in the country. Yoon was impeached in April due to being charged with insurrection.
The current president is Lee Jae-myung, a center-left rival of Yoon Suk-yeol.
Separately, approximately 2,500 people in South Korea have been forced to evacuate their homes due to heavy rains.
References: [1] Yonhap News Agency [2] The Korea Herald
What is the connection between Kim Keon-hee's arrest and general-news or politics? Kim Keon-hee, South Korea's former first lady, was arrested last week on multiple corruption-related charges, including accusations of violating anti-corruption laws, artificially inflating shares, interfering in parliamentarian nominations, and being involved in a stock manipulation scheme. This incident falls under crime-and-justice, as it is a political crime, and general-news, as it pertains to the nation's highest political figures.
