Kim Geon-hee Appears for Substantial Examination of Arrest Warrant… Possibility of Simultaneous Arrest of Former Presidential Couple
Kim Geon-hee, the spouse of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, appeared at the court on the 12th for the substantial examination of the arrest warrant.
Mrs. Kim arrived at the Seoul Central District Court around 9:27 AM that day. She entered the court with her head down, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, with her hair tied back.
Mrs. Kim's outfit was similar to what she wore on June 6th when she appeared for the special prosecutor's investigation. She was dressed in a black skirt suit with a white shirt, wearing black shoes, and carrying a handbag in her left hand.
As reporters fired questions such as "What did you mean by 'a person who is nothing'?" "Is it true that you testified about the luxury gift?" "Have you seen the 'Kim Geon-hee Excel file'?" and "Why did you ask for the luxury watch?" Mrs. Kim did not provide any responses.
After entering the building, Mrs. Kim bowed to the reporters before passing through the security checkpoint and headed to the courtroom.
Decision on Arrest, Possible First Case of Simultaneous Arrest of Former Presidential Couple
Chief Judge Jeong Jae-wook of the Seoul Central District Court began the examination to determine Mrs. Kim’s arrest around 10:10 AM that day.
Initially, the examination was scheduled to take place in courtroom 319, but it was changed to courtroom 321 that morning. This courtroom is also where former President Yoon Suk-yeol underwent his substantial examination last month.
After the examination concluded, Mrs. Kim is expected to move to the Seoul Southern Detention Center to await the outcome.
The results of the arrest warrant examination are expected to be announced late that night or early the next morning. If the arrest warrant is issued, it will mark the first instance in the history of the Republic of Korea where a former presidential couple is arrested simultaneously.
The special prosecutor's office has requested an arrest warrant for Mrs. Kim on three charges: stock manipulation of Deutsche Motors (violation of the Capital Markets Act), interference in the nomination of Myung-tae Kwon (violation of the Political Funds Act), and soliciting from Geon-jin Beopsa (bribery).
The special prosecutor's team will include eight members, including Deputy Chief Prosecutor Han Moon-hyeok, who will emphasize the likelihood of Mrs. Kim colluding with her aides and the significant concerns regarding evidence destruction, such as changing mobile phones immediately after former President Yoon's impeachment.
Mrs. Kim's defense team included lawyers Yoo Jung-hwa, Choi Myung-seong, and Choi Ji-woo.
Mrs. Kim's legal team is expected to completely deny the charges asserted by the special prosecutor, stating that she has faithfully complied with summons investigations, poses no flight risk, and is in poor health.
Image source: Kim Geon-hee attending the substantial examination of the arrest warrant / News1, Former President Yoon Suk-yeol (right) appearing at a polling station during the 21st presidential election on June 3rd alongside Kim Geon-hee / News1
