Kim Geon-hee under arrest… First former presidential couple in history arrested simultaneously

The spouse of former President Yoon Seok-youl, Kim Geon-hee, has been arrested.

On the morning of the 13th, around midnight, Judge Jeong Jae-wook of the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Mrs. Kim on charges of violating the Capital Markets Act.

Judge Jeong cited "the risk of destruction of evidence" as the reason for issuing the warrant. With this decision, the couple of former President Yoon Seok-youl has gained the disgrace of being the "first former presidential couple in history to be arrested simultaneously."

About 5 hours of hearings… Silent as she boarded the transport vehicle

The substantive warrant hearing for Mrs. Kim was held the previous day from 10:10 AM to 3 PM in Courtroom 321 of the Seoul Central District Court. After the hearing, reporters asked Mrs. Kim about her "court statements," whether she maintained a position of "total denial of charges," and her views on the submission of a handwritten statement by the Chairman of Seohee Construction concerning a necklace. However, Mrs. Kim refused to respond and boarded the transport vehicle.

After the hearing, Mrs. Kim was taken to the Seoul Southern Detention Center, where she awaited in the awaiting room for arrested suspects. Once the warrant was confirmed, she proceeded with the formal admission process.

After changing into prison clothes, she was photographed for a mugshot, had her fingerprints taken, and was transferred to the detention facility designated for arrested suspects.

Special Investigation, allegations of stock price manipulation, nomination interference, and requests from the Unification Church all included

The Kim Geon-hee Special Investigation Team (led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki) filed for an arrest warrant against Mrs. Kim on July 7 on charges of violating the Capital Markets Act, violating the Political Fund Act, and bribery. The 22-page request detailed three main allegations.

First, it is alleged that Mrs. Kim conspired with a group manipulating the stock price of Deutsche Motors to engage in a total of 3,800 transactions including collusive trading and overbuying from October 2010 to December 2012, obtaining an unjust profit of over 810 million won, violating the Capital Markets Act.

Second, she is accused of violating the Political Fund Act by receiving approximately 270 million won worth of public opinion surveys for free from Mr. Myung Tae-kyun a total of 58 times from June 2021 to March of the following year.

Third, from April to July 2022, she is alleged to have conspired with Mr. Jeon Sung-bae, known as "Geonjin Beopsa," to receive valuables worth over 82 million won, including expensive necklaces and bags, from the Unification Church, constituting bribery.

Image source: Kim Geon-hee attending the substantive examination of the arrest warrant / News1, News1