South Korean prosecutors request arrest for former first lady

On Thursday, August 7, a team of special prosecutors requested an arrest warrant for former first lady Kim Kong-hee, a day after she was questioned on charges of election interference and other violations. This was reported by the agency Yonhap.

According to the prosecutor's office, the former first lady is accused of violating three laws – on the capital market, on political funds, and on receiving bribes for mediation.

"We requested the warrant after determining that the criteria for an arrest warrant were met," said the assistant special prosecutor.

Unnamed sources told reporters that the hearing on the warrant will be held next Tuesday at the Seoul Central District Court.

Kim, the wife of imprisoned former South Korean President Yun Seok-ol, appeared before the special prosecutor's office on Wednesday for questioning over her alleged involvement in a scheme to manipulate stock prices, interfere with the nomination of candidates for the 2022 parliamentary elections, and accept bribes in exchange for business favors for the Unification Church.

The charges listed in the arrest warrant are believed to be related to these acts. She was also reportedly questioned about the exclusion of a precious necklace from a mandatory legal asset declaration, but a related charge was not included in the warrant.

Kim has reportedly largely denied the allegations against her.

According to the country's Criminal Procedure Code, the criteria for arrest include fears of destruction of evidence and risk of flight.

• On December 3, 2024, then-South Korean President declared martial law due to an alleged coup threat.
• A few hours later, the country's parliament unanimously supported a resolution to lift martial law.
• On January 15, 2025, Yoon was arrested. on January 26, prosecutors charged him with attempted coup d'état.
• On March 8, Yoon was released from custody. He left the Seoul Detention Center, where he had been held for more than 50 days.
• On July 10, a court in Seoul re-arrested the former South Korean president.