South Korea's Former First Lady Arrested Amid Scandal

In a significant twist in South Korea's political landscape, former first lady Kim Keon Hee has been arrested on charges of stock manipulation and bribery, marking a historic moment as both she and her husband, ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, are now behind bars.

The wife of South Korea's imprisoned ex-president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been taken into custody following a series of serious allegations, including stock manipulation and bribery. Kim Keon Hee denied all charges during a lengthy four-hour court appearance in Seoul on Tuesday; however, the court authorized her detention, citing concerns that she might destroy crucial evidence related to her case.

South Korea's political history is fraught with incidents of former leaders facing indictments and imprisonment. Remarkably, this is the first occasion in which both the former president and the first lady have been incarcerated simultaneously. Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been in detention since January, is awaiting trial due to a contentious martial law proposal that sparked national turmoil and contributed to his removal from office.

Prosecutors allege that Kim, aged 52, garnered more than 800 million won (approximately $577,940 or £428,000) through involvement in a price-rigging scheme surrounding Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealership in South Korea. While these actions reportedly took place prior to her husband's election, they continued to cast a long shadow over his presidency. Furthermore, Kim is accused of receiving two Chanel handbags and a diamond necklace as bribes from the controversial Unification Church, in exchange for granting business favors.

Among other allegations, Kim is also implicated in interfering with candidate nominations during the parliamentary by-elections of 2022 and the general elections that followed. Sporting a black suit and skirt, she appeared somber as she addressed the media after the hearing, expressing her regret for the turmoil she has caused as someone she described as "no importance."

During his presidency, Yoon rejected three opposition-led bills aimed at initiating a special counsel investigation into allegations against Kim, with the last veto occurring in November, just a week before he invoked martial law. A special counsel was finally instituted in June after Yoon’s political rival, Lee Jae Myung, assumed the presidency. This evolving scandal underscores the complex intertwining of power, privilege, and accountability in South Korea's political arena.