Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife interfered in state affairs in return for expensive valuables and money, a special prosecutor said yesterday.
The special prosecutor’s investigations, which wrapped up on Sunday, came amid a year-long probe into Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law last year and related scandals linked to the once-powerful couple.
The prosecution team earlier this month sought a 15-year prison sentence for former South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee, who is under detention and currently on trial for suspected acceptance of bribes for mediation and other charges.
Photo: AFP
Kim has denied any wrongdoing.
She apologized to the public for causing concerns during a court hearing earlier this month.
Kim “took advantage of the status of the president’s spouse to receive money and expensive valuables, and has been widely involved in various personnel appointments and nominations,” special prosecutor Min Joong-ki said at a news conference marking the end of his investigation.
A lower court ruling on Kim is expected on Jan. 28 next year.
“Investigations do not end because one says so, but are eventually completed with evidence in court,” Kim’s lawyers said in a statement yesterday, adding that they would work “to ensure that procedural legitimacy and defense rights are thoroughly guaranteed so that facts are not exaggerated or distorted into political framing.”
The prosecution team has also indicted Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, now on trial, after the religious group was suspected of giving Kim valuables including two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace to win influence.
Han has denied that she directed her church to bribe Kim.
“Various people who did not have a common denominator with each other visited Kim Keon-hee, not the president, and asked for what they wanted, and gave money and goods,” assistant special prosecutor Kim Hyeong-geun said. “As a result, their request was realized.”
Ousted Yoon is on trial for suspected masterminding of an insurrection, a charge that could mean a life sentence or even a death penalty. He has denied the charges.
A lower court ruling on Yoon is expected early next year.
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