First-Ever Simultaneous Custody of Former Presidential Couple
On August 12th, the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for former First Lady Kim Keon‑hee, making her and ex-President Yoon Suk‑yeol the first former presidential couple in South Korean history to be detained simultaneously. Judge Jung Jae‑wook, who issued the warrant, cited concerns that Kim might destroy evidence if released. The arrest followed a request from the Min Joong-ki Special Prosecutor’s Office, which investigated multiple allegations against her. Following her court hearing, Kim was transferred to the Seoul Southern Detention Center, where she awaited trial. Her detention has enabled prosecutors to advance investigations. She faced charges including violations of the Capital Markets Act, breaches of political funding laws, and accepting improper solicitations under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The charges related to her role as a financial backer in the 2009 to 2012 Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case. The court determined that three of Kim’s accounts and one belonging to her mother were used to manipulate stock prices. Additionally, she was accused of interfering in People Power Party candidate nominations during the 2022 by-elections and last year’s National Assembly elections, and of receiving improper requests from the Unification Church between April and August 2022. Meanwhile, her husband, former President Yoon Suk-yeol, has been detained since July 10th, facing insurrection charges tied to his aborted martial law declaration on December 3rd, 2024. This historic case marked an unprecedented moment in Korea’s legal and political history, emphasizing accountability at the highest level.