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Kim Keon Hee's corruption trial begins at Seoul Central District Court

Published: 24 Sep. 2025, 14:30

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, on Aug. 12 after attending a warrant hearing. [YONHAP]

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee is set to attend the first hearing of her corruption trial Wednesday, with the press allowed to film her appearance.

Kim's trial is scheduled to begin at the Seoul Central District Court at 2:10 p.m. following her indictment on charges of stock manipulation, bribery and other corruption.

The former first lady will be brought to the courtroom from a detention center where she has been held in custody since Aug. 12.

She is the first spouse of a former president to stand trial, and her husband, ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, is simultaneously standing trial on charges related to his failed bid to impose martial law in December.

Kim is accused of violating the Capital Markets Act, the Political Funds Act and a law on the acceptance of bribes for mediation.

The first charge relates to allegations that she conspired with a former head of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in Korea, as well as a close associate, to manipulate the company's stock price and make 810 million won (US$581,000) in illegal profits between 2010 and 2012.

The second charge relates to allegations that she and her husband received free opinion polls worth 270 million won from a self-proclaimed power broker ahead of the presidential election in 2022 in exchange for securing the nomination of former People Power Party Rep. Kim Young-sun for a parliamentary by-election later that year.

The final charge involves her alleged acceptance of luxury gifts worth 80 million won from a Unification Church official through a shaman in 2022, which allegedly came with requests for favors.

The special counsel team investigating her case has requested the court freeze all assets pending the trial.

The court earlier this week said it will allow media organizations to take photos and videos of Kim before the start of the trial, but not during.

Yonhap