The former first lady of South Korea, Kim Keon Hee, was arrested Tuesday evening for a range of accusations, including the manipulation of actions and corruption, said prosecutors.
The arrest took place a few hours after the Central District Court of Seoul examined the request of prosecutors of arrest warrant against the 52 -year -old man.
The court granted the mandate, citing the risk of falsification of evidence, after the prosecutors submitted an notice of 848 pages in the so -called “illegal acts” of Kim.
With the arrest, South Korea now has a former president and First Lady for the first time behind the bars of the country’s history.
The accusations against Kim include capital market violations and financial investment laws, as well as the laws on political funds.
The arrest highlights a spectacular fall for the former couple after the superb declaration of the martial law of former president Yoon Suk Yeol on December 3, who saw soldiers deployed in Parliament, but was quickly voted by opposition deputies.
Yoon, a former high -level prosecutor, was dismissed and removed from his functions in April during the Martial Law Declaration, which prompted the country to organize early elections in June.
He has been in arrest and detention since July 10.
Last week, Kim underwent a question of several hours by the prosecutors, who filed his arrest warrant the next day.
“I sincerely apologize for having caused trouble despite an unimportant person,” Kim said on Wednesday at the prosecutors’ office.
The controversy has long surrounded Kim, with persistent questions about his alleged role in manipulating actions.
Public criticism was rekindled in 2022 when a pastor on the left filmed a Dior handbag himself that she seemed to accept.
She is also accused of having interfered in the appointment process for the deputies of the Yoon party, a violation of electoral laws.
Yoon, as president, vetoed three bills in special investigation adopted by the Parliament controlled by the opposition which sought to investigate the allegations against Kim, with the last veto issued at the end of November.
A week later, Yoon declared martial law.
Cup
Under penitentiary regulations, Kim will have to go from his normal clothes to a khaki prison uniform and be awarded a detainee number.
She will also have to take a photo.
The old lady is held in a solitary cell of 10 square meters (107 square feet) which has a fan but no air conditioning, because a heat wave grabs South Korea.
According to the official prison schedule, he was offered a regulatory breakfast including bread, jam and sausages.
The local media reported that his cell includes a small table to eat and study, a shelf, a sink and a toilet, but no bed.
While she was generally held in the same detention center as her husband, prosecutors asked on Monday to be owned in a separate establishment at around 20 kilometers (12.5 miles).
When the mandate was issued, the protection of the first lady’s presidential security services was immediately terminated.
Kim can be held up to 20 days while prosecutors are preparing to indicate it officially, said legal expert Kim Nam-Ju AFP.
“Once Kim is charged, she could remain detained up to six months,” said lawyer Kim Nam-Ju.
The former First Lady can contest the mandate before the court as illegal, “but taking into account the current circumstances, there seems to be a high risk of destruction of evidence, which makes the mandate unlikely to be revoked and the liberated person,” he added.
“Another option is the surety, but that is not granted if there are concerns about the destruction of evidence.”
