South Korea’s former first lady, Kim Keon Hee, and ex-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo were formally indicted on Friday following special investigations linked to the removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his controversial martial law measures.
Kim, the wife of the jailed ex-president, faces charges including violations of financial market regulations, illegal political funding, and accepting bribes. Her indictment comes roughly two weeks after a court ordered her detention.
Han has been accused of assisting Yoon in imposing martial law, acts that investigators classify as tantamount to rebellion, along with allegations of falsifying and destroying official documents and providing false testimony.
Three special prosecutor investigations were initiated under the administration of liberal President Lee Jae Myung, targeting the actions of Yoon’s government related to the December martial law decree. Several high-ranking officials, including Yoon’s defense minister, military leaders, and police officers, have also been arrested for their roles in enforcing the martial law.
Yoon was removed from office in April and re-arrested last month over the December decree. Both Kim and Yoon are alleged to have influenced the conservative People Power Party’s nomination process in a 2022 legislative by-election, reportedly at the behest of election broker Myung Tae-kyun. Myung is accused of manipulating opinion surveys to favor Yoon in the party’s presidential primaries ahead of his presidential bid.
Earlier this month, Kim issued a public apology for the controversy, while signaling her intent to contest the charges, portraying herself as having a minor role in the events.
Assistant special counsel Park Ji-young said in a televised briefing that Han, as the highest-ranking official, could have obstructed Yoon’s martial law plan but instead actively sought to provide it procedural legitimacy by pushing the decree through a Cabinet Council meeting. Han maintains he had expressed opposition to the martial law plan.
Han, appointed prime minister by Yoon, served as acting head of state after Yoon’s impeachment in December. After Yoon’s formal removal by the Constitutional Court, Han was expected to lead the caretaker government until the June presidential election. He resigned to pursue the presidency himself, but Yoon’s conservative party ultimately selected another candidate.
