Former first lady Kim Keon Hee summoned for questioning over alleged ties to Geon Jin
Published: 21 Aug. 2025, 17:18
Updated: 21 Aug. 2025, 19:01
![Kim Keon Hee, wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, leaves the office of the special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki at KT Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Aug. 6 after being questioned. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/21/18ad88d2-a5d8-4f1d-a89c-4185fcc18677.jpg)
Kim Keon Hee, wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, leaves the office of the special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki at KT Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Aug. 6 after being questioned. [NEWS1]
Former first lady Kim Keon Hee was summoned on Thursday afternoon for questioning by the team of special prosecutor Min Joong-ki, which is investigating allegations of Kim's ties to a shaman known as Geon Jin.
The summons comes as a political storm brews over conflicting accounts of Kim’s recent prison meeting with lawyer Shin Pyeong, a former mentor to ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Kim’s attorney, Yoo Jung-hwa, issued a statement on Thursday, refuting Shin’s claims that the former first lady made inflammatory comments about the former conservative People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon.
“It has been confirmed through an attorney-client consultation that the remarks about former leader Han did not come from Kim,” Yoo said. "This is a case of a reporter fishing around for comments, distorting them by mixing in their own opinions and spreading them around."
On Wednesday, Shin wrote on Facebook that Kim had told him in a meeting on Tuesday, as soon as she sat down, “Teacher, wouldn’t it be better for my husband’s future if I were to just die?” He described her appearance as “emaciated to the point of being skin and bones.”
Shin further claimed that Kim had lamented Han's actions by saying, “If he hadn’t betrayed us, endless glory would have awaited him.” In a radio interview later on Tuesday, he paraphrased her remark as, “If he hadn’t betrayed us, he could have had everything.”
![Kim Keon Hee exits the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul after completing a hearing session for her arrest warrant on Aug. 12. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/21/76786065-d8ef-46b7-9824-f79b69ae9649.jpg)
Kim Keon Hee exits the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul after completing a hearing session for her arrest warrant on Aug. 12. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
'An unethical leak'
According to Shin, Kim also allegedly asked him whether he knew "What the greatest strength of President Lee [Jae Myung] is." Shin said he replied, “He knows how to nurture people,” and claimed Kim agreed, adding, “That is what you must tell my husband when you next see him.”
Shin also alleged that Kim criticized Lee’s ties to construction tycoon Lee Bong-gwan, who recently submitted a statement to the special counsel saying that the entrepreneur met with the former first lady multiple times, claiming it was “an attempt to destroy us by siding with the [Lee] administration.”
But Kim has denied making such comments. In a meeting with her lawyer on Wednesday, she reportedly said, “That’s nonsense. I never said such a thing.” Her defense argued that Shin brought up Han first, and Kim merely gave cursory responses that were later twisted into direct quotes.
Attorney Yoo criticized Shin, saying, “Kim’s health is extremely frail, and even sustaining a long conversation is difficult. To use her condition to advance one’s own political commentary and leak distorted remarks is unethical.”
Shin responded by saying he would not engage further, warning that rebuttals could devolve into “an emotional battle.”
![Bribery connection to the former first lady Kim Keon Hee [YUN YOUNG]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/21/7c9f4a9b-cf90-41b0-a162-05e25dc003c9.jpg)
Bribery connection to the former first lady Kim Keon Hee [YUN YOUNG]
Special counsel zeroes in on Geon Jin links
Meanwhile, Kim arrived at the special counsel’s office in central Seoul at 1:35 p.m. on Thursday in a police transport vehicle. This is her third round of questioning since she was detained on Aug. 12.
Three key associates connected to the allegations have already been detained. Former Unification Church executive Yoon Young-ho, accused of lobbying through shaman Jeon Seong-bae, known as “Geon Jin,” was indicted on Monday.
Lee Jong-ho, a former head of Black Pearl Investment tied to the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, was detained on Aug. 5. On Aug. 15, Kim Ye-seong, a central figure in the so-called “butler gate,” was also arrested.
![Lee Jong-ho, who managed Kim Keon Hee's bank account, attends a questioning session held by the special counsel team in central Seoul on July 30. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/21/8efb2049-ea02-41f5-8797-54e626421d2e.jpg)
Lee Jong-ho, who managed Kim Keon Hee's bank account, attends a questioning session held by the special counsel team in central Seoul on July 30. [NEWS1]
On Thursday, Geon Jin himself, who was scheduled for a court hearing on his pretrial detention warrant, waived his right to a review, making his arrest all but certain.
Kim, who reportedly suffers from depression and poor health, was examined by a doctor on Thursday morning before her questioning. The special counsel is expected to first focus on allegations regarding her ties to Geon Jin before moving on to the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case.
As in her previous two interrogations, Kim is widely expected to exercise her right to remain silent for most questions.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI SEO-IN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)