South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee has been arrested on corruption charges, a special prosecutor confirmed on Wednesday. The arrest warrant was issued by the Seoul Central District Court, citing concerns over evidence tampering, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Kim faces three charges: violating capital market laws by allegedly manipulating stock prices of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealership, between 2009 and 2012; receiving illegal political funding worth over 270 million won (£144,000) through free opinion polling services; and accepting luxury gifts, including Chanel handbags and jewellery, from the Unification Church in exchange for favourable treatment of development projects in Cambodia.
The arrest creates an unprecedented situation where both Kim and her husband, impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol, are in custody simultaneously. Yoon was returned to detention in July over his failed attempt to impose martial law in December last year.
Kim denies all charges. During a court hearing, she expressed frustration over scrutiny of her personal affairs, stating she was 'upset that even issues from before my marriage keep being brought up.' She is being held at Nambu detention centre in Seoul, separate from her husband.
The arrest follows a special counsel investigation established after President Lee Jae Myung took office in June, which examined 16 allegations against Kim. Her master's and doctoral degrees were recently revoked over thesis plagiarism.
