Prosecutors seek 15 years in prison for South Korea's former first lady, charged in separate trial from her husband
Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee, pictured before arriving at court for one of her trial hearings, PHOTO: Jung Yeon-je / AP / Profimedia Images
South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday sought a total of 15 years in prison for former First Lady Kim Keon Hee, who was charged with bribery and other crimes, Reuters and Yonhap news agencies reported.
The case comes amid a year-long investigation into the imposition of martial law in South Korea by Kim Keon Hee's husband, former president Yoon Suk Yeol, in early December last year and other scandals associated with the until recently influential couple.
The Seoul Central District Court is due to deliver its verdict on January 28. At a hearing held exactly one year after Yoon imposed martial law, prosecutors presented their final arguments on the charges against Kim.
These include manipulating listed stocks, violating political finance laws by asking an influential intermediary to conduct opinion polls for free, and accepting bribes from the Unification Church, South Korea's controversial religious movement also known as the “Moon Sect.” The church has been implicated in several corruption scandals over the years involving high-ranking government officials in Seoul, and even former presidents.
Kim, dressed in a black suit, apologized at the hearing for the “concern caused” but denied any wrongdoing.
Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki's team asked the court and the former First Lady to be fined 2 billion won (US$1.36 million) for the alleged acts.
Her husband, former President Yoon, was permanently removed from office by the Seoul Constitutional Court in April this year. In January, he became the first president in South Korean history to be arrested while in office.
He is currently in custody pending trial for allegedly leading an insurrection and participating in the military's alleged cover-up of the death of a marine, among other charges.
