What Yoon and Kim appeared to know all along

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What Yoon and Kim appeared to know all along

Published: 12 Sep. 2025, 00:02

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Kang Ju-an

The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo.

What first looked like a single Dior bag worth 3 million won ($2,153) seemed unreal enough. A video of the newly inaugurated first lady calmly accepting a luxury gift felt almost too improbable to be genuine.

But the allegation that former first lady Kim Keon Hee took valuables did not end with that one clip. As the probe by Special Counsel Min Joong-ki advanced, the list grew. New suspicions surfaced over a Sweet Alhambra bracelet, a Two Butterfly pendant necklace, Perlée Color earrings, and a Frivole bracelet. Investigators also traced a gold turtle, a Rolex watch, and a Cartier watch to a nursing home run by Kim’s family. Shaman Jeon Seong-bae, known as Geonjin, was said to have received a Graff diamond necklace and two Chanel bags. A painting by Lee Ufan was found at the home of the mother-in-law of Kim’s brother.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee walk toward their vehicle after casting their ballots for the presidential election in Seocho, southern Seoul on June 3. [JANG JIN-YOUNG]

Korean law enforcement often displays seized evidence when major rings are broken up. If the jewelry and artwork appearing in the first lady probe were presented in one place, it might resemble a special exhibition of burial relics.

Accounts of the former first lady’s movements also surfaced. Witnesses said she used a presidential safe house — a restricted security location — for meetings with outsiders. She was further alleged to have used a limited-access area of Jongmyo Shrine, a Unesco World Heritage site, for a private tea gathering. Her time as first lady did not reach three years, yet these are not the sorts of episodes heard even about a five-year tenure.

Ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, waves his hand as he departs from his presidential residence in Yongsan in central Seoul on April 11 this year. His wife Kim Keon Hee is seen behind him on the car. [NEWS1]

Kim once called herself “a nobody,” but her later explanation about a necklace raised deeper doubts. She claimed she had bought a fake. Investigators then found a “counterfeit” necklace at the home of her brother’s mother-in-law. When the purported giver publicly said the original gift was genuine, suspicion grew that a replica had been planted along an anticipated search route to avoid criminal liability. It suggested a level of planning for what might come later.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol also appeared methodical. After the People Power Party’s presidential nominee was set as Kim Moon-soo, Yoon wrote on Facebook, urging former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo — viewed as unlikely to cooperate — to “stay the course.” This time, Han did not. After the martial law episode settled down, many implicated officers began early this year to defy Mr. Yoon’s orders as unlawful in investigations and court proceedings, and Han later joined that camp.

Two months ago, Yoon said he would fight in court to reveal the truth about the emergency rule. He now skips hearings. Kim has repeatedly exercised the right to remain silent when questioned. Yet once their resolve seemed to fade, more conventional statements began to appear.

Through his lawyer, Yoon said, “Hold the commander in chief accountable and stop investigations and trials against soldiers.” Many had already been released, while two high school alumni accused of plotting martial law had been detained for a second time. It was, to critics, too late.

On the day she was indicted, Kim said she was grateful to the special counsel. If she had refrained from summoning prosecutors to and fro during the first Dior bag flare-up — and instead taken that tone — the damage might have been contained.

Bribery connection to the former first lady Kim Keon Hee. This was written as of late August; since then, the special counsel’s investigation has continued to surface additional bribery allegations. [YUN YOUNG]

On Thursday, the Democratic Party (DP) and People Power Party again clashed over whether to extend three special-counsel probes into the former presidential couple. Reports that the parties had agreed not to extend the deadlines were quickly criticized by President Lee Jae Myung and DP leader Jung Cheong-rae, a reversal that likely disheartened Yoon and Kim.

They understood the law, the ways investigators trace search routes, and the posture expected of a commander in chief who had put subordinates at risk. What they seemed not to grasp was that truth tends to surface, no matter how carefully a scenario is written. They may not have foreseen how severe the cost would be.

After failing to appear at eight straight hearings, the former president should now enter the courtroom and say directly, “Hold me responsible.” Kim, whose trial opens on the 24th this month, should show respect for the special counsel by speaking plainly in court. They likely know this is the only path left.

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.