South Korean prosecutors grilled former first lady Kim Keon Hee on Wednesday on various charges of stock manipulation, bribery, and political meddling, in a high-profile investigation which could see both she and her detained husband, former president Yoon Suk Yeol, stand trial at the same time.
The questioning began shortly after 10:00 a.m. (0100 GMT) at the special prosecutor’s office in Seoul, amid heavy media coverage and public demonstrations. Prosecutors signaled that they may seek an arrest warrant for Kim following the session, a move that, if granted, would mark the first time in South Korean history that a former president and first lady were arrested at the same time.
Kim, 52, is alleged to have conspired with traders to rig a company’s share price between 2009 and 2012 and for breaking the nation’s powerful anti-graft laws by receiving high-end gifts, such as a $2,200 Dior handbag. She is also suspected of interfering with the candidacy selection of her husband’s party, which may be a violation of election law.
“I express my deepest apologies for being a cause of bother even though I am an irrelevant person. I will fully cooperate with investigations,” Kim said at the entrance of the prosecutor’s office.
The scrutiny of Kim deepened with a video of her accepting the handbag from the self-described supporter going public in 2022, prompting a new round of public condemnation. It has been a constant companion for her throughout Yoon’s presidency, which ended in a sudden manner with his April impeachment for declaring martial law in December. The decree suspended for a short moment the rule of civilians but was reversed by parliament within days.
Yoon, a former top prosecutor himself, had repeatedly blocked parliamentary efforts to investigate his wife, vetoing three special probe bills pushed by the opposition-controlled National Assembly. He dismissed the initiatives as “political propaganda,” but his martial law declaration a week after his final veto accelerated calls for his removal.
South Korea held a snap presidential election in June following his impeachment.
When Kim arrived for questioning, opposition groups of protesters gathered outside the prosecutor’s office, some waving national flags and calling for an impartial investigation, others insisting she be arrested now. Journalists trailed along behind her motorcade through Seoul, demonstrating huge public interest in the case.
Prosecutors have not set a date for a potential decision on an arrest warrant for Kim but a decision can be reached within days according to legal commentators. It would plunge South Korea’s current political crisis even deeper and add more stain on Yoon’s short presidency.
Written By Rodney Mbua
