Judge who convicted South Korean ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee found dead days after ruling
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South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee (centre) was sentenced to four years in prison for stock manipulation and bribery.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SEOUL – Appellate court judge Shin Jong-o, who presided over the appeals trial that sentenced former first lady Kim Keon Hee to four years in prison, was found dead near the Seoul High Court in southern Seoul at around 1am on May 6, eight days after delivering the ruling.
The Seoul Seocho Police Station said Mr Shin is believed to have fallen from a building, while police are investigating the exact circumstances of his death.
Police found what appears to be a suicide note that reportedly made no mention of the appellate ruling involving Kim. The note only said “I am sorry. I am leaving by my own choice”, according to local reports.
Police do not suspect foul play.
In the April 28 ruling, Mr Shin overturned part of a lower court decision that had sentenced Kim to 20 months in prison after finding her guilty on some bribery charges linked to the Unification Church.
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The appellate court found Kim partially guilty of violating the Capital Markets Act in connection with the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case.
It also found her guilty on all counts of influence-peddling under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes over her acceptance of valuables from the Unification Church.
The court sentenced her to four years in prison and a fine of 50 million won (S$43,900). It also ordered the confiscation of a Graff necklace worth 62.2 million won and an additional forfeiture of 20.94 million won.
Born in Seoul, Mr Shin began his judicial career in 2011 at the Uijeongbu branch of the Seoul District Court. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
