2LT International News

SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea’s former First Lady Kim Keon Hee and ex-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo were both indicted on August 29 in connection with investigations into the downfall of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Yoon, who is currently in jail, faces multiple charges tied to corruption and his dramatic but failed attempt to rule by martial law.

A team led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki announced charges against Kim Keon Hee, accusing her of breaking financial market and political funding laws, as well as taking bribes. Her indictment comes about two weeks after a court ordered her arrest.

Meanwhile, another team led by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk charged Han Duck-soo with helping Yoon impose martial law, which investigators described as a form of rebellion. Han is also accused of falsifying and destroying official records and giving false testimony under oath.

The scandal has drawn in dozens of political and military figures. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun has been accused of working with Yoon to plan martial law and of deploying troops to block lawmakers from canceling it. More than 60 others have been indicted for rioting outside a Seoul court earlier this year when judges first approved Yoon’s arrest warrant.

Yoon’s downfall began on December 3, 2024, when he abruptly declared martial law in an attempt to push through his agenda against a legislature controlled by the opposition. The measure collapsed within hours, but it sparked months of chaos that crippled politics, unsettled South Korea’s economy, and disrupted its foreign relations.

He was impeached by lawmakers, removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April, and then rearrested in July after his conservative party lost the presidency in an early election. The new government has since appointed three special prosecutors to examine Yoon’s martial law order and corruption allegations against him and his wife.

Assistant Special Counsel Park Ji-young said Han, as prime minister, had the power to stop Yoon’s plan but instead played an “active” role by trying to push it through a Cabinet Council, which would have given it legitimacy. Han denies wrongdoing, saying he told Yoon he opposed the move. A Seoul court rejected a request for his arrest, ruling that he was unlikely to run away or destroy evidence.

Yoon and Kim are the first former presidential couple in South Korea to both face jail time at the same time. Critics argue that Yoon’s rash attempt at martial law may have been partly motivated by scandals surrounding his wife.

Kim apologized for causing public concern but continued to insist she was innocent. Through her lawyers, she said she would quietly face trial while accusing the media of treating unproven suspicions as facts.