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Korean judge, 55, who sentenced ex-first lady to 4 years’ jail found dead on flower bed 8 days after ruling
His exact cause of death is being investigated.
May 06, 2026, 03:33 PM
Image from Reuters and Chosun Daily
The 55-year-old judge who presided over the appeals trial that sentenced South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee to four years’ jail has been found dead.
South Korean police discovered the deceased, Shin Jong-o, on a flower bed near the Seoul High Court compound in southern Seoul on May 6 at about 1:00 am after being alerted to a report an hour prior, The Korea Times reported.
Suicide note
A handwritten suicide note was reportedly found on the judge’s body.
"I am sorry. I am leaving by my own choice," the note reportedly read.
It made no mention of the appeals trial involving Kim.
He was believed to have fallen from a building, The Korea Herald reported.
Police do not suspect foul play, and Shin’s exact cause of death is being investigated.
Appeal trial
On Apr. 28, in an appeal trial, eight days before the incident, the former first lady was sentenced to four years’ jail and a fine of 50 million won (S$43,725.87) for stock manipulation and bribery.
The confiscation of a necklace worth 62.2 million won (S$54,316.59) and an additional forfeiture of 20.94 million won (S$18,286) were ordered.
The appeal trial increased her prior sentence of 20 months’ jail.
Shin graduated from Seoul National University’s College of Law in 1995, The Chosun Daily reported.
He passed the bar exam the same year and completed the 27th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute in 1998.
Shin was appointed as a judge at the Seoul High Court in 2010.
Fellow judges remembered Shin as a "reticent and diligent judge who focused solely on trials."
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