Presiding judge of ex-first lady's appeals trial found dead

The presiding judge of former first lady Kim Keon Hee's appeals trial on corruption charges was found dead near a Seoul court early Wednesday, officials said. Police discovered judge Shin Jong-o's body on a flower bed near the Seoul High Court compound in southern Seoul at around 1 a.m. after receiving a report about an hour earlier. A suicide note was apparently found at the scene, with police investigating the exact cause of his death, including the possibility of Shin jumping to his death. Shin presided over the appellate trial of Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, at the Seoul High Court following her conviction by a lower court in January. Last month, the appellate court raised her sentence to four years from 20 months in prison, finding 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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