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Special counsel concludes 180-day investigation into ex-first lady

Published: 29 Dec. 2025, 08:41

Special counsel Min Joong-ki, second from left, speaks at a signboard-unveiling ceremony at his team's office in Seoul in this July 2. [YONHAP]

Special counsel Min Joong-ki and his team on Sunday wrapped up their 180-day investigation into a host of corruption allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon Hee after placing her under arrest and indicting her on charges including stock manipulation and bribe-taking.

Min's team launched in July with a focus on investigating three key suspicions — Kim's alleged involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme, her alleged acceptance of free opinion polls from a self-proclaimed power broker and her suspected receipt of luxury gifts from the Unification Church.

Over the course of the investigation, the team placed 20 people, including Kim, under custody and indicted a total of 66 people, including Kim and her husband, ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Kim appeared for questioning at the team's office on Aug. 6, becoming the first spouse of a former or sitting president to publicly appear as a suspect in a criminal investigation.

She denied all the allegations against her, and within days became the first spouse of a former or sitting president to be arrested.

On Aug. 29, the team indicted her on charges of violating the Capital Market Act, the Political Funds Act and a law on the acceptance of bribes for mediation.

Specifically, she was accused of conspiring 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 ($561,000) in illegal profits between 2010 and 2012.

She was also accused of receiving free opinion polls worth 270 million won, together with her husband, from the power broker Myung Tae-kyun, ahead of the presidential election in 2022 in exchange for securing the nomination of former People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kim Young-sun for a parliamentary by-election later that year.

First lady Kim Keon Hee appears at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Dec. 3 for a sentencing hearing. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Additionally, she was charged with receiving luxury gifts worth 80 million won from the Unification Church, through a shaman, in exchange for business favors in 2022.

From there, the special prosecutor's team widened the scope of its targets using leads that were uncovered in the investigation process.

The newly emerged cases centered on allegations that the former first lady received high-end jewelry and other gifts in exchange for her promise of appointments to senior government and other jobs.

On Friday, the team additionally indicted her on charges of accepting bribes for mediation.

Throughout the investigation, the team also faced multiple controversies, including over Min's alleged illegal trade in stocks in the past.

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

More recently, it was accused of conducting a biased investigation targeting only the main opposition PPP affiliated with Yoon, even though it had been aware of allegations that the Unification Church also bribed members of the ruling Democratic Party.

Min's team is scheduled to hold a press conference on Monday to announce the final results of its investigation.

Yonhap