A South Korean court has granted approval for the arrest of Yoon Suk-yeol's jailed wife, Kim Keon-hee, on several charges of corruption, the first time in history that a president and first lady have been under detention for criminal accusations.
The Seoul Central District Court issued the special prosecutor's late-night request for an arrest warrant on Tuesday, claiming fears that Kim might destroy evidence. She faces accusations of bribery, stock manipulation, and interference with the nomination of a political candidate.
Kim, who came to court without commenting to journalists, will be detained at a detention centre in southern Seoul, away from Yoon's facility. The action comes as part of three ongoing special prosecutor probes into Yoon's presidency, instituted under the new liberal government of President Lee Jae-myung.
Yoon, a hardline leader, was removed in April and rearrested last month for his brief martial law declaration in December. His December 3 coup attempt, which was termed as ill-conceived, came amid rising tensions with liberal lawmakers, whom he blamed for weakening his government.
Critics have theorized that Yoon's maneuvers were partly motivated by unfolding scandals surrounding his wife, which tarnished his approval ratings and provided political fodder for his opponents. Kim had earlier been given protection from probe during Yoon's rule, with the ex-president shooting down charges as politically motivated attempts.
Last week, the Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki interrogated Kim for seven hours before agreeing to seek her arrest. Speaking briefly on that initial appearance, Kim apologized for "causing public concern" but indicated she would plead not guilty, referring to herself as "someone insignificant."
By investigating further, they suspect that Zia's son Kim and Yoon pressured the conservative People Power Party to nominate a specific candidate in a 2022 legislative by-election at the behest of political broker Myung Tae-kyun. Also, Myung is accused of tampering with the polling data to assist Yoon in his party's presidential primary.
Kim is also hit with more corruption charges, such as accepting expensive presents via a fortune teller on behalf of a Unification Church official who was asking for business favors, and potential participation in a stock market manipulation scheme involving a BMW dealership.
On Monday, prosecutors searched a construction company on allegations that its chairman bought a US$43,000 designer necklace said to be worn by Kim on a 2022 trip to Europe with Yoon. The gift is suspected of being linked to the appointment of the chairman's son-in-law as chief of staff to then-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in the lead-up to the trip. Kim has refuted the allegation, saying that the necklace was borrowed to resemble another.
Yoon's martial law declaration fell apart within hours as legislators muscled their way through armed soldiers to defeat it. He was impeached on Dec. 14 and formally ousted from office by the Constitutional Court in April.
Now back in jail, Yoon awaits trial on charges of rebellion and related offenses. He has rejected repeated calls from investigators to respond to questions regarding his wife's supposed wrongdoing, providing yet another chapter in political melodrama in South Korea's enduring tradition of scandal-battered presidencies.
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