SEOUL, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife appeared in court together on Tuesday for the first time in nine months, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The Seoul Central District Court held a hearing on charges that Yoon violated the Political Funds Act. His wife, Kim Keon-hee, attended the hearing as a witness. It marked the couple's first meeting since July 2025, when Yoon was taken into custody.
Yoon is accused of conspiring with his wife to receive illegal public opinion poll results free of charge from a political broker on 58 occasions ahead of the 2022 presidential election and using them to influence campaign activities, in violation of the Political Funds Act.
Kim appeared in court in the afternoon but refused to answer most of the prosecution's questions, except confirming her identity as Yoon's spouse.
In January, Kim was sentenced in a first-instance ruling to 20 months in prison on bribery allegations, with only one of three charges upheld. The court dismissed allegations of violations of the Capital Markets Act and the Political Funds Act. Prosecutors have appealed the ruling and sought a 15-year sentence in the appellate trial.
Yoon is currently facing eight criminal cases. In February, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to life imprisonment in a first-instance ruling on charges of leading an insurrection.
The emergency martial law was declared by Yoon on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly. ■