Former First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who has been indicted and detained on charges of manipulating Deutsch Motors stock prices and accepting illicit fun...
Former First Lady Kim Keon-hee, indicted and detained on charges including Deutsch Motors stock manipulation and bribery involving the Unification Church, appears at her first trial at the Seoul Central District Court on September 24.
/ Joint Press Corps Former First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who has been indicted and detained on charges of manipulating Deutsch Motors stock prices and accepting illicit funds from the Unification Church, appeared in court for trial on September 24. She is the first former first lady to be indicted and, in the history of Korea’s constitutional government, the first to stand trial as a criminal defendant. The Seoul Central District Court’s 27th Criminal Division held the opening trial for Kim, who faces charges of violating the Capital Markets Act, the Political Funds Act, and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes . With the court granting the media’s request to film, Kim was shown sitting in the defendant’s seat for about a minute in photos and video, her first public appearance since her pre-trial detention hearing on August 12. Arriving at court in a transport vehicle, Kim entered the courtroom wearing black-rimmed glasses, a white mask, and a navy suit. Pinned to the left side of her chest was a badge bearing the prisoner number “4398.” With the help of court staff, she kept her hands clasped together until she sat down at the defendant’s bench. When the judge informed her of her right to remain silent, Kim nodded slightly. Asked if she wanted a jury trial, she replied firmly, “No.” When the judge inquired if she was unemployed, she answered, “Yes, I am unemployed.” As proceedings began, Kim’s defense team denied all charges brought by Special Counsel Min Joong-ki’s team. Regarding allegations that she conspired with former Deutsch Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo and former Black Pearl Invest CEO Lee Jong-ho to manipulate Deutsch Motors’ stock between October 2010 and December 2012, gaining illicit profits of 810 million won, her lawyers argued: “The case was already twice dismissed under previous administrations.” They added, “She did not conspire in stock manipulation and was not even aware that her account was being managed in that way.” On allegations that she colluded with her husband and former President Yoon Suk-yeol to receive free polling services worth 270 million won from political broker Myung Tae-kyun between June 2021 and March 2022, her lawyers contended: “She merely saw some of Myung’s privately conducted polls, sent via KakaoTalk. At the time, there were numerous other surveys available, so there was no reason to rely on him.” Kim also denied charges that, together with shaman Jeon Seong-bae, also known as Geon Jin, she accepted luxury goods worth 80 million won, including an expensive necklace, from Unification Church officials between April and July 2022 in exchange for favors related to church support. Her side stated, “She never received a Chanel bag from former Unification Church executive director Yoon Young-ho.” They pointed to media reports suggesting Yoon Young-ho texted Jeon about a “delivery problem” as evidence that “the goods may never have reached her.” The court scheduled another preparatory hearing for September 26 to finalize witness examination schedules, with full hearings to be held twice weekly beginning October 15. “We will proceed with trials every Wednesday and Friday,” the court said, noting that hearings will be held on October 15, 22, 24, and 29 to examine 27 witnesses. The court also indicated its intent to complete all evidence review by the end of the year. Throughout the proceedings, Kim kept her head bowed, either sitting silently or whispering with her lawyers. After the 40-minute session ended, she was escorted back to the Seoul Southern Detention Center by transport vehicle.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Kim Jong-un to make multilateral diplomatic debut at China’s military paradeNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un will attend a military parade in Beijing on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s formal surrender in...
Read more »
Kim Jong-un visits China, taking 1st step into multilateral diplomacyNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing on September 2 to attend a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the War o...
Read more »
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok says he has no plans to run in next year’s local electionsPrime Minister Kim Min-seok took the floor as a respondent during the first interpellation session of the Lee Jae-myung administration on September...
Read more »
Cho Kuk pushes for Chief Justice’s resignation, citing draft impeachment motionCho Kuk (pictured), interim leader of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party, pressured Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae to step down on September...
Read more »
Seoul Philharmonic brings ‘Squid Game’ composer Jung Jae-il’s new piece to Carnegie Hall“When I first showed the score to Maestro (Jaap van Zweden, music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra), I felt like an elementary school s...
Read more »