The presiding judge overseeing the appeals trial of former South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee on corruption charges was found dead outside a court in Seoul early Wednesday, News.Az reports, citing Yonhap.
Police said the body of judge Shin Jong-o was discovered on a flower bed within the Seoul High Court complex in the southern part of the capital at around 1 a.m., after authorities received a report roughly an hour earlier.
A handwritten suicide note was found in his pocket, reportedly containing an apology but making no reference to the ongoing trial.
Investigators said they do not currently suspect foul play, but are continuing to examine the exact circumstances surrounding his death, including the possibility that he fell.
Shin had been presiding over the appellate proceedings involving Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, following her conviction by a lower court in January.
Last month, the appeals court increased her prison sentence to four years from an earlier term of 20 months, ruling her partially guilty of involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme and guilty of accepting luxury gifts from the Unification Church.
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