Ex-first lady refuses to testify again ahead of indictment

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Aug. 12, after attending her arrest warrant hearing. Joint Press Corps

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee refused to testify again during a fifth round of questioning over corruption allegations Thursday, a special counsel team said, ahead of her indictment later this week.

Kim, the wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, was brought to special counsel Min Joong-ki's office in central Seoul earlier in the day from a detention center where she has been held since Aug. 13.

She was interrogated in the morning about her alleged involvement in manipulating stock prices of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in Korea, from 2009 to 2012.

The questioning paused for lunch before resuming in the afternoon, and Kim exercised her right to remain silent as during previous sessions, assistant special counsel Oh Jeong-hee said during a press briefing.

The former first lady faces allegations of being involved in stock manipulation schemes, meddling in candidate nominations for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections and 2024 general elections, and receiving luxury gifts from the Unification Church through a shaman in exchange for business favors.

The special counsel team has said it plans to indict her with physical detention Friday, two days before her pretrial arrest expires.

Also Friday, the team plans to indict with physical detention Kim Ye-seong, known as the "butler" of the former first lady's family, on charges of embezzling 3.38 billion won ($2.44 million) from IMS Mobility, a company he helped establish.