South Korea awaits ruling on bid to arrest former first lady

Charges against Kim, punishable by years successful prison, scope from banal fraud to bribery and amerciable power peddling.

South Korea’s erstwhile archetypal lady, Kim Keon-hee, has appeared successful tribunal for a five-hour hearing, but the justice has yet to contented a ruling connected a prosecution petition for a warrant to apprehension her connected accusations of interfering with an investigation.

If detained, she would beryllium South Korea’s lone erstwhile archetypal woman to beryllium arrested, joining her husband, erstwhile President Yoon Suk-yeol, successful jailhouse arsenic helium faces trial, pursuing his removal successful April, implicit a botched bid to enforce martial instrumentality successful December.

Kim, wearing a achromatic suit, bowed arsenic she arrived connected Tuesday, but did not reply reporters’ questions oregon marque a statement.

After the proceeding ended, she near to await the ruling astatine a detention centre successful Seoul, the capital, successful enactment with customary practice.

The charges against her, punishable by years successful prison, scope from banal fraud to bribery and amerciable power peddling that person implicated concern owners, spiritual figures and a governmental powerfulness broker.

She has been accused of breaking the instrumentality implicit an incidental successful which she wore a luxury Van Cleef pendant reportedly worthy much than 60 cardinal won ($43,000) portion attending a NATO acme with her hubby successful 2022.

The point was not listed successful the couple’s fiscal disclosure arsenic required by law, according to the charge.

Kim is besides accused of receiving 2 Chanel bags unneurotic valued astatine 20 cardinal won ($14,500) and a diamond necklace from a spiritual radical arsenic a bribe successful instrumentality for power favourable to its concern interests.

Kim denies accusations

The prosecution sought Kim’s apprehension due to the fact that of the hazard of her destroying grounds and interfering with the investigation, a spokesperson for the peculiar prosecutor’s squad told a quality briefing aft Tuesday’s hearing.

The spokesperson, Oh Jeong-hee, said Kim had told prosecutors the pendant she wore was a fake bought 20 years agone successful Hong Kong.

The prosecution said it was genuine, however, and fixed by a home operation institution for Kim to deterioration astatine the summit, Oh said.

Kim’s lawyers did not instantly remark connected Tuesday, but they person antecedently denied the accusations against her and dismissed arsenic groundless speculation quality reports astir immoderate of the gifts she allegedly received.

The tribunal is expected to denote its determination precocious connected Tuesday oregon overnight, media said, based connected the timing of the determination to apprehension Yoon.

Yoon is connected proceedings connected charges of insurrection, which could effect successful beingness imprisonment oregon adjacent the decease penalty.

The erstwhile president, who besides faces charges of maltreatment of powerfulness among others, has denied wrongdoing and refused to be proceedings hearings oregon beryllium questioned by prosecutors.