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Ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee indicted on nine criminal charges

Published: 29 Dec. 2025, 14:11 Updated: 29 Dec. 2025, 14:50

Former first ;ady Kim Keon Hee closes her eyes during a hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court, southern Seoul, on Sept. 24. [NEWS1]

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee has been arrested and indicted on nine criminal charges, including political meddling, the special counsel said on Monday. This is the first such case involving a presidential spouse in Korea's constitutional history.

The special counsel team said on Monday that it wrapped up its 180-day probe into Kim and released its final findings, along with extensive records. Prosecutors indicted a total of 76 people, of which 20 were taken into custody and 56 charged without detention. The figure marks the largest number of indictments ever made during a special counsel investigation in Korea.

Kim alone faces nine separate criminal charges. She was initially arrested and indicted on three counts: alleged stock price manipulation in connection with Deutsch Motors; receiving free opinion polling services from self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun; and accepting money and favors from the Unification Church through a shaman known as Geon Jin, whose real name is Jeon Seong-bae.

She was later indicted for violating the Political Parties Act, with Unification Church members allegedly having joined the People Power Party en masse.

Last Friday, prosecutors added charges and accused Kim of illegally receiving valuables from Lee Bong-kwan, the chairman of Seohee Construction; Lee Bae-yong, the former chair of the National Education Commission; Seo Seong-bin, a business owner; Kim Sang-min, a former prosecutor; and Choi Jae-young, a pastor.

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee leaves after being questioned at the special counsel’s office in central Seoul on Aug. 6. [NEWS1]

According to the special counsel, Kim allegedly received a total of 377.3 million won ($263,200) in cash and luxury goods, such as two Chanel handbags and a Graff necklace, allegedly delivered by the Unification Church through Geon Jin; three pieces of luxury jewelry, including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, reportedly provided by Lee Bong-kwan; a gold turtle ornament from Lee Bae-yong; and a Vacheron Constantin watch from Seo Seong-bin.

Other items include a painting by artist Lee Ufan, a Roger Vivier handbag and a Dior bag.

“Kim Keon Hee exploited her status as the president’s spouse to receive high-priced valuables and engaged broadly in personnel decisions and election nominations to a degree that could be described as a modern form of a spoils system,” the special counsel said in a statement. “As a result, we confirmed that Korea’s public systems were significantly undermined.”

The scope of the investigation was broad from the outset, as the special counsel law designated 16 separate targets of alleged wrongdoing. While the probe ultimately led to the indictment of 76 people, only some of the charges directly concern Kim Keon Hee. Many cases were found to be unrelated to her, fueling persistent criticism that the investigation veered into unrelated matters.

Kim Keon Hee, the wife of impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol, attends her first trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 24. She has been indicted and detained on charges including stock manipulation involving Deutsche Motors, political interference and taking bribes in connection with the Unification Church. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

In a separate case regarding alleged stock price manipulation at Sambu Construction, the special counsel indicted four people — including Lee Il-jun, the company's chairman — under detention and charged nine others without detention.

Kim Keon Hee, however, was not one of the defendants, despite suspicions arising after Lee Jong-ho, a former Black Pearl Investment executive described as Kim’s account manager, sent a message that read “Check Sambu” in a group chat. Investigators ultimately concluded that Sambu executives had illegally inflated the stock price by exploiting reconstruction project opportunities in Ukraine, and that the former first lady was not directly involved.

Lee Jong-ho, who previously managed Kim Keon Hee’s bank account in relation to the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation scandal, emerged as a central figure in the special counsel’s probe into her alleged involvement in the incident. He admitted to giving the former first lady checks worth 300 million won during a hearing on Dec. 16.

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 JEONG JIN-HO [[email protected]]