South Korea: Ex-first lady to appear for questioning by special counsel for second time since arrest

Seoul, Aug 16 South Korean jailed former first lady Kim Keon Hee will appear for questioning by a special counsel team next week for the second time since her arrest, officials said Saturday.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team said it had been informed by Kim's legal representatives that the wife of former President Yoon Seok Yeol will comply with the summons for 10 a.m. Monday.

Kim was arrested last Tuesday over corruption charges and faced her first round of questioning two days later. The Seoul Central District Court had issued a warrant for her arrest, citing concerns she could destroy evidence.

Kim's availability for Monday's questioning had been in doubt due to health-related reasons, as she had been trying to schedule an appointment with her doctor. Kim had planned to meet with her attorneys Monday morning first before deciding whether to appear for questioning, but changed her mind Saturday.

Kim faces charges of participating in a stock price manipulation scheme involving Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, from 2009 to 2012, meddling in candidate nominations for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections and 2024 general elections, and receiving luxury gifts from the Unification Church through a shaman in exchange for business favors.

On Thursday, Kim's questioning went on for just over two hours, as the ex-first lady exercised her right to remain silent, Yonhap news agency reported.

According to her lawyers, Kim expressed her doubt as to if she could live with her husband again. Yoon is under arrest over charges related to his failed attempt to impose martial law in December, making the two the first presidential couple to be detained simultaneously.

Kim Ye-seong, an associate of Kim Keon Hee known as the "butler" of her family, was arrested on embezzlement charges late Friday. The associate could be called in for cross interrogation Monday.

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