S. Korean judge in former first lady’s stock manipulation case found dead

A South Korean judge who presided over the appeal trial of former first lady Kim Keon-hee’s Deutsch Motors stock manipulation and other charges was found dead early Wednesday, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Shin Jong-oh, a judge at the Seoul High Court, was found in a flower bed near the court building in Seoul at around 1 a.m. local time after police received a report around midnight, according to the report.
A suicide note was found at the scene, and police are investigating the exact cause of death.
A special counsel team on Monday appealed to South Korea’s Supreme Court against an appellate court ruling that sentenced Kim, the wife of South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk-yeol, to four years in prison over charges including stock manipulation and graft.