Judge Presiding Over Ex-First Lady of South Korea's Trial Dies, Leaves Apology Note

According to Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday (6/5/2026), police discovered the body of Shin Jong in a flower garden within the Seoul High Court complex, in southern Seoul, around 01:00 local time, following a report received about an hour earlier. A handwritten suicide note was found in his pocket. The letter contained an apology but did not mention the trial. Police do not suspect foul play but are still investigating the exact cause of death. There is a strong suspicion that he fell to his death. Shin presided over the appeal hearing for Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, at the Seoul High Court after she was sentenced by the first-instance court in January. Last month, the appellate court increased her sentence to four years from the previous 20 months in prison, after finding her partially guilty of involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme and guilty of receiving luxury gifts from the Unification Church. According to AFP news agency, Shin was taken to hospital and pronounced dead, the investigator said. He added, “There are no signs of crime in the death.” The police investigator stated that “the grieving judge’s family is deeply affected by the incident and requests privacy.” Last month, Shin led the appeal hearing for South Korea’s former First Lady, 53-year-old Kim Keon Hee. Shin found Kim guilty of stock manipulation and bribery, and increased her prison sentence to four years from the previous 20 months. “The court sentences the defendant to four years in prison and imposes a fine of 50 million won (Rp 584.5 million),” stated the Seoul High Court ruling broadcast live on television on Tuesday (28/4). The Seoul High Court stated that Kim was guilty of manipulating the stock price of Deutsch Motors, a South Korean car dealership, which the court described as “a collusive act of market manipulation trading.” Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol who is also imprisoned, was sentenced to 20 months in prison in January for bribery charges after receiving luxury gifts from a church resembling a cult.