Seoul ¨C A South Korean judge who more than doubled the former first lady¡¯s prison sentence last month was found dead on Wednesday, police said.
Shin Jong-o was ¡°found unconscious around 1:00 a.m. ... at the Seoul High Court building,¡°?an investigator at Seocho district police station said.
Shin was taken to hospital and pronounced dead, he said, adding: ¡°There is no sign of foul play in the death.¡±
Local media reported that Shin had left a suicide note, but the investigator said there was none.
Last month, Shin presided over 53-year-old Kim Keon Hee¡¯s appeal trial, finding her guilty of stock manipulation and bribery, and increasing her sentence to four years from 20 months.
The heavier sentence came after her acquittal by a lower court on the stock manipulation charge was overturned.
Shin said at the time that Kim had ¡°failed to acknowledge her culpability and has instead consistently resorted to excuses.¡±
The police investigator said on Wednesday that the judge¡¯s ¡°bereaved family is stricken by the incident¡± and requests privacy.
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