Judge Shin Jongoh of 'Kim Keonhee Appeal' Found Dead... Suicide Note Secured

Found Dead at Seoul High Court Building in the Early Morning
Police Secure Suspected Suicide Note and Launch Investigation

Shin Jong-oh, a presiding judge at the Seoul High Court (age 55, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 27), who sentenced Kim Keon-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, to prison in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case on appeal, was found dead at the Seoul High Court building.

According to police, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul confirmed Shin's death at the Seoul High Court around 1 a.m. on May 6 and transported him to the hospital. A police official stated, "There are no signs of foul play," adding, "We are investigating the exact cause of death." A document believed to be a suicide note was found at the scene, and the police are currently reviewing it.

Seoul High Court, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Judge Shin presided over the appellate trial of Kim on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (acceptance of bribes for influence peddling), the Political Funds Act, and the Capital Markets Act. At the sentencing hearing on April 28, he handed down a four-year prison sentence, a fine of 50 million won, a forfeiture of 20.94 million won, and the confiscation of a Graff necklace. While the first trial court had recognized only part of the charges and sentenced Kim to one year and eight months in prison, the appellate court found her guilty of both stock manipulation and receiving illicit funds.

Judge Shin, born in Seoul, graduated from Sangmun High School and the Department of Law at Seoul National University before passing the 37th bar exam. He began his judicial career at the Uijeongbu branch of the Seoul District Court in 2001 and later served as a research judge at the Supreme Court, and at the Daegu and Daejeon High Courts. He was known within the judiciary as a strict adherent to principles. In 2023, the Seoul Bar Association recognized him as an "Outstanding Judge," acknowledging his expertise and fairness.

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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.