The former first lady of South Korea imprisoned after a court issued warrant.

According to a special prosecutor heading a comprehensive investigation, Kim Keon Hee, the former first lady of South Korea, was arrested after a court issued an arrest warrant late on Tuesday in response to graft charges that she disputes.

Kim is joining her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, in jail as he faces prosecution after being ousted in April for a failed attempt to establish martial law in December, making her the only former first lady of South Korea to be incarcerated. Kim, dressed in a black suit, bowed as she appeared at court earlier in the day but made no statement or respond to questions from reporters. As is traditional, she left after the hearing to await the decision at a detention facility in the capital, Seoul.

In a brief statement, the special prosecutor who was appointed in early June stated that the court had issued the warrant for Kim’s arrest. No other information was provided by the prosecutor’s office.

Business owners, religious leaders, and a political power broker have all been implicated in the charges against her, which include stock fraud, bribery, and illegal influence peddling. The crimes carry a maximum sentence of years in jail. When she and her husband attended a NATO summit in 2022, she allegedly wore a high-end Van Cleef pendant valued at over 60 million won ($43,000), which has led to accusations of breaking the law.

The allegation claims that the item was not included in the couple’s legally mandated financial disclosure.

Kim is also charged with accepting a diamond necklace and two Chanel purses totaling 20 million won as bribes from a religious organization in exchange for influence that would benefit its commercial interests. A spokesman for the special prosecutor’s team told a press briefing following Tuesday’s hearing that the prosecution wanted Kim arrested due to the possibility that she may destroy evidence and impede the probe.
According to Yonhap News, the court agreed with the reasoning regarding the danger of destroying evidence.

Kim informed investigators that the pendant she wore was a fake that she had purchased in Hong Kong 20 years prior, according to the spokesman, Oh Jeong-hee.
But according to the prosecution, it was authentic and provided by a domestic construction company for Kim to don at the meeting, Oh claimed.

Although Kim’s attorneys did not immediately respond on Tuesday, they have previously refuted the charges against her and written off press stories on some of the gifts she reportedly got as unfounded rumors. Yoon is facing rebellion charges that carry a life sentence or potentially the death penalty.
In addition to being charged with abuse of authority, the former president has denied any wrongdoing and declined to be questioned by prosecutors or appear at trial hearings.