South Korean investigators search arrest of spouse of jailed ex-President Yoon

South Korean investigators on Thursday (August 7, 2025) requested a warrant to arrest the spouse of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol, a day after questioning her over suspicions together with bribery, inventory manipulation and political influence-peddling.

Yoon, for the second time in every week, resisted an try and compel him to seem for questioning in his spouse’s case, forcing jail officers to desert their efforts after an hour-long wrestle on account of considerations of harm, the investigators mentioned. The detention warrant for Yoon expires Thursday.

The investigation focusing on Yoon’s spouse, Kim Keon Hee, is certainly one of three separate particular prosecutor probes launched beneath the federal government of latest liberal President Lee Jae Myung associated to Yoon, who was faraway from workplace in April and rearrested final month over his transient imposition of martial regulation in December.

The investigation workforce questioned Ms. Kim for about seven hours on Wednesday on numerous allegations, together with claims that Yoon and Kim exerted undue affect over the conservative social gathering’s candidate nominations for a parliamentary by-election in 2022.

Ms. Kim can be suspected of receiving a necklace and different presents via a fortuneteller performing as an middleman for a Unification Church official looking for enterprise favors, and of potential involvement in a inventory worth manipulation scheme.

The workforce mentioned they listed a number of expenses within the warrant request for Ms. Kim, together with violations of economic market and political funding legal guidelines and acceptance of bribes.

Also Read | South Korea former President Yoon Suk Yeol indicted once more as martial regulation probe continues

In her transient feedback to reporters as she appeared for questioning on Wednesday, Ms. Kim issued a imprecise apology for inflicting public concern but in addition hinted that she would deny the accusations in opposition to her, calling herself “somebody insignificant.”

Yoon, who faces a high-stakes trial on insurrection and different expenses, beforehand resisted an try by investigators on Friday final week to deliver him to their workplace for questioning over his spouse. Investigators mentioned he took off his jail uniform and lay down on the ground of his cell in his underwear till they gave up.

Investigators had been much less particular about Yoon’s actions on Thursday however mentioned he “strongly resisted” and that there have been considerations that he could be injured if the wrestle continued. Yoon’s attorneys criticized the repeated makes an attempt to drive him to seem for questioning, stating that he has already made clear his intention to train his proper to stay silent and accusing investigators of infringing upon his rights so as to publicly disgrace him.

Yoon’s ill-fated imposition of martial regulation on December 3 got here throughout a seemingly routine standoff with the liberals, whom he labelled as “anti-state” forces abusing their legislative majority to hinder his agenda. Some political opponents have questioned whether or not the conservative chief’s actions had been at the very least partly motivated by rising allegations in opposition to his spouse, which damage his approval rankings and gave political ammunition to his rivals.

While in workplace, Yoon repeatedly dismissed calls to research his spouse, denouncing them as baseless political assaults.

After successful the early Presidential election in June, new liberal President Lee Jae Myung accepted laws to launch sweeping particular investigations into Yoon’s martial regulation debacle, the allegations in opposition to his spouse, and the 2023 drowning dying of a marine throughout a flood rescue operation, an incident the liberals declare Yoon’s authorities tried to cowl up.