South Korean police found the body of a South Korean judge on Wednesday; he was the one who increased the former First Lady's prison sentence to more than twice as long last month.
On 6 May 2026, investigators from Seocho District Police Station revealed that they found Mr. Shin Jong-oh unconscious around 1:00 a.m. at the Seoul High Court building. Mr. Shin was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead.
Police confirmed there were no signs of murder or criminal activity in this death. Meanwhile, local media reported Mr. Shin left a suicide note, but investigators stated no such note was found.
Last April, Mr. Shin presided over the appellate court case of Ms. Kim Gun-hee, the 53-year-old former First Lady of South Korea, ruling she was guilty of stock manipulation and bribery, and increased her prison sentence from 20 months to 4 years.
The sentence increase came after the lower court had acquitted her on the stock manipulation charge, but that decision was overturned on appeal. At that time, Mr. Shin said Kim “failed to admit her wrongdoing and instead continuously offered excuses.”
Investigators concluded on Wednesday, “The judge’s family is deeply grieving over this incident” and requested privacy during this time.
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Source:cna