A South Korean court on Tuesday ordered the arrest of the wife of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol as investigators seek to charge her over various suspected crimes, including bribery, stock manipulation and meddling in the selection of a candidate.
Investigators said the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Kim Keon Hee late Tuesday.
The investigation into Kim is one of three special prosecutor probes launched under Seoul’s new liberal government targeting the presidency of Yoon, a conservative who was removed from office in April and rearrested last month over his brief imposition of martial law in December.
While Yoon’s self-inflicted downfall extended a decades-long run of South Korean presidencies ending badly, he and Kim are the first presidential couple to be simultaneously arrested over criminal allegations.
Yoon’s surprising yet poorly planned power grab on Dec. 3 came amid a seemingly routine standoff with the liberals, who he described as “anti-state” forces abusing their legislative majority to block his agenda. Some political opponents have questioned whether Yoon’s actions were at least partly motivated by growing allegations against his wife, which hurt his approval ratings and gave political ammunition to his rivals.
