Kim Keon Hee, wife of ex-South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol, arrested for alleged corruption

The Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant on Aug. 12 to detain Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, over charges of involvement in various crimes such as bribery, meddling in elections and stock manipulation.

Kim is South Korea's only former First Lady to be arrested.

This comes after her husband's arrest about a month ago on Jul. 10 over his failed martial law bid.

Kim's charges

According to South Korean media Yonhap News Agency, Kim has a total of 16 criminal allegations against her.

One of the charges she faces is allegedly participating in a stock price manipulation scheme involving Deutsch Motors, which is a BMW car dealer in South Korea, from 2009 to 2012.

She also faces charges of allegedly interfering in candidate nominations in the parliamentary by-election in 2022 and the 2024 general election, as well as receiving luxury gifts from the Unification Church through a shaman, known as Geonjin, in exchange for business favours.

The Chosun Daily reported that the chairman of Seohee Construction, Lee Bong Kwan, revealed that he allegedly gave Kim a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace shortly after her husband won the presidential election in March 2022.

She was allegedly seen wearing the same necklace, which is valued at about 60 million won (around S$55,658), three months later at a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) trip with Yoon in June 2022.

This caused a stir as the item was not listed in her official asset filings.

When questioned, Kim claimed that she had borrowed a fake version of the necklace for the trip.

Prosecutors submitted both the genuine necklace, supposedly from Lee, and a fake one which they claimed they found at the home of Kim's older brother's mother-in-law during a search, as evidence.

Yonhap News Agency also reported that Kim allegedly changed the endpoint of an expressway project to an area where her family are landowners in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province.

Her family also allegedly received preferential treatment in an apartment construction project in Yangpyeong.

However, Kim reportedly denied all charges on Aug. 12.

Prosecutors emphasised risks of her destroying evidence

During the hearing on Aug. 12, special prosecutors raised concerns of Kim destroying evidence and called for her arrest warrant, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Despite her lawyers arguing against it by saying that she was in poor health and had been compliant with questioning, the court ultimately issued the arrest warrant.

Initially, Kim was supposed to be detained at Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province.

However, the Uiwang facility requested that she be sent to Seoul Nambu Detention Centre instead, where Yoon is currently held at.

Currently held in solitary cell

According to Yonhap News Agency, the court accepted the request and Kim is currently detained in a solitary cell at Seoul Nambu Detention Centre, citing a prison official.

Her cell is reportedly about six to ten square metres in size with amenities such as a locker, foldout table, television and a toilet.

She will also reportedly have separate bath and exercise hours from the rest of the prisoners to ensure that she does not meet them.

Top photos via @markdsikes/Instagram, Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs