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Special counsel indicts 76, including former first lady Kim Keon Hee, for corruption, stock manipulation

Published: 29 Dec. 2025, 19:27 Updated: 29 Dec. 2025, 19:39

Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, closes her eyes as she attends the first trial on charges including bribery mediation, capital markets law violations and political funds law violations at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 24. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Korea’s special counsel on Monday said it had indicted 76 people in connection with corruption and stock manipulation allegations involving Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, concluding a six-month investigation that sent the former first lady to trial in custody.

The team, led by special prosecutor Min Joong-ki, said 20 of those indicted were charged and taken under custody, while 56 were exempt from detention. The total marks the largest number of indictments ever brought by a special counsel in Korea. It is also the first time in the country’s constitutional history that a former first lady has been indicted while in custody.

'President's spouse abused her authority'

Kim herself faces nine criminal charges, prosecutors said.

She was initially detained and indicted on three charges: manipulating the stock price of Deutsch Motors, receiving free public opinion polls from political broker Myung Tae-kyun and accepting money and solicitations from the Unification Church through shaman Jeon Seong-bae, also known as Geon Jin.

Prosecutors later added a charge under the Political Parties Act, alleging that Kim was involved in the mass enrollment of Unification Church members into the People Power Party (PPP), which Yoon belonged to at the time.

On Friday, the special counsel filed additional charges of brokerage bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, alleging Kim received valuables from Lee Bong-kwan, chairman of Seohee Construction; Lee Bae-yong, former head of the National Education Commission; Seo Seong-bin, head of a robot dog company; former prosecutor Kim Sang-min and pastor Choi Jae-young.

The special counsel concluded that former first lady Kim exploited her status as the president’s spouse to pursue private interests and undermine public institutions.

“The investigation found in several cases that the president’s spouse abused her authority, causing serious damage to Korea’s public systems," special prosecutor Min said.

“Kim readily accepted high-value gifts and intervened broadly in personnel appointments and election nominations," he added.

377 million won in luxury goods

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee ride in a vehicle during a state visit to the Netherlands on Dec. 12, 2023. [YONHAP]

Prosecutors said Kim received luxury goods worth 377.25 million won ($263,000).

Those items included two Chanel handbags and a Graff necklace allegedly delivered by the Unification Church through Jeon; three pieces of luxury jewelry, including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace delivered through Lee Bong-kwan; a gold turtle ornament from Lee Bae-yong; and a Vacheron Constantin watch from Seo Seong-bin. Investigators also cited a painting by artist Lee Ufan and luxury handbags from Roger Vivier and Dior.

The special counsel said the investigation also established the facts behind several long-running scandals that had fueled public controversy.

Prosecutors indicted Kim as a co-conspirator in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case and said their probe confirmed that she accepted free polling from Myung and intervened in the nomination of former PPP lawmaker Kim Young-sun.

Prosecutors transfer cases to police

Special prosecutor Min Joong-ki announces the results of an investigation into allegations involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee during a briefing on the morning of Dec. 29. [KANG JUNG-HYUN]

The special counsel law spelled out 16 categories of alleged wrongdoing that investigators were required to examine, prompting a wide-ranging probe into former first lady Kim and people connected to her. While the investigation produced dozens of indictments, only some directly involved Kim.

In a separate stock manipulation case involving Sambu Construction and Well Biotech, prosecutors detained and indicted Sambu Chairman Lee Il-jun and four others and indicted 11 more without detention. Investigators said the executives inflated share prices by tying their companies to Ukraine reconstruction plans. Kim had been suspected of involvement after an associate linked to her sent a message referencing Sambu Construction, but investigators found no evidence of her direct role and did not charge her.

Rather than issuing non-prosecution decisions, the special counsel transferred most cases in which it found no direct link to Kim to the National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation. Of the 16 investigative categories, 12 were handed over to police.

In a case involving allegations that large companies invested in IMS Mobility through an intermediary linked to Kim, prosecutors said they found no direct link between the former first lady and the investments but cited the need for further investigation.

The team also examined allegations surrounding a change to the route of the Yangpyeong expressway and earlier prosecutorial decisions not to indict Kim in the Deutsch Motors and Dior handbag cases, but said time constraints prevented it from reaching final conclusions.

The special counsel team admitted it faced difficulties in applying the law because the first lady is a civilian, not a public official. Under Korea’s anti-graft law, spouses of public officials cannot be punished for accepting gifts, and bribery charges require proof of collusion with the president.

“[Lawmakers] should consider legal revisions to treat first ladies like public officials under criminal law, so that accepting money or valuables can be punished more strictly," prosecutor Kim Hyung-geun said.

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, CHOI SEO-IN, JO SU-BIN [[email protected]]