A diamond pendant worth tens of thousands of dollars, once worn by former South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee on an official trip, has become the unlikely catalyst for her fall from grace.
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The luxury item, and its meticulously crafted fake, are now at the centre of a criminal case that saw Kim detained late on Tuesday pending trial, accused of deception, obstruction and a decade-long pattern of alleged wrongdoing.
Investigators say Kim lied about the pendant’s origin, staged a cover-up and stonewalled during questioning, triggering the court’s decision to have her thrown in jail.
For Kim, who faces prison life and a storm of criminal charges, that diamond pendant has become a symbol of her transformation from high society to low life.
Immediately after the Seoul Central District Court approved prosecutors’ request to remand her, the 52-year-old was taken to the Seoul Nambu Detention Centre.
“Her alleged deception regarding the disputed jewellery apparently played a key role in persuading the court to approve a pre-trial detention warrant,” Gang Moon-dae, a pro-democracy lawyer, told This Week in Asia.