South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee has been arrested after a court late on Tuesday issued a warrant to arrest her following accusations of graft that she denies, a special prosecutor leading a wide-reaching probe said.

Kim Keon Hee, accused of accepting Chanel bags and other items as bribes, is the only former first lady in the country to have been put behind bars. Her husband has also been jailed on insurrection charges.

South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee, wife of impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol, arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review her arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors at the Seoul Central District Court,