A judge from the Seoul High Court, who was presiding over the appeal hearing for the 'Deutsche Motors' stock manipulation and corruption case involving South Korea's former First Lady Kim Keon-hee, has been found dead. According to the Yonhap News Agency, Judge Shin Jong-oh was discovered early Wednesday morning near the Seoul court building. Following a report received at midnight, police located him deceased at approximately 1:00 AM local time. An investigation is currently underway to determine the exact cause of death.
The case centers on Kim Keon-hee, the wife of former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. This past Monday, a special prosecution team appealed to the Supreme Court against a High Court ruling that sentenced Kim to four years in prison for stock manipulation and corruption. On April 28, the Seoul High Court had overturned a lower court's decision, increasing her sentence from 20 months to four years and imposing a 50 million won (approximately $33,910) fine. While prosecutors had been seeking a 15-year sentence, Judge Shin was a key figure involved in the ongoing sensitive legal proceedings.
