It began with whispers of luxury gifts, a designer handbag here, a diamond necklace there. What seemed at first like indulgent rumors has now culminated in a dramatic fall from grace for South Korea’s former first lady, Kim Keon Hee.
From the start, Kim wasn’t your typical first lady. Before entering the political spotlight, she had built a career in the art industry, founding her own exhibition agency. She married Yoon Suk Yeol in 2012, when he was still a prosecutor and had yet to step into politics. That background made her rise and now her downfall all the more striking.
In 2021, Kim faced public scrutiny when she admitted to inflating her resume. At the time, she issued an apology and vowed to “remain focused on my role as a wife” if her husband succeeded in the following year’s presidential election. The statement was seen as an attempt to quell controversy and reposition herself as a supportive figure rather than a political actor.
She also faced persistent allegations of academic plagiarism, which resulted in Sookmyung Women’s University revoking her master’s degree last summer. Kookmin University, where she earned a PhD, followed suit and revoked her doctoral degree after the Sookmyung decision, despite having previously cleared her of misconduct in an earlier probe.
On Wednesday, a Seoul court handed down a sentence of one year and eight months in prison to Kim, the wife of former President Yoon. The ruling marks a significant chapter in a scandal that has gripped the nation and tarnished the image of its former first couple.
The case centered on allegations that Kim accepted lavish gifts from the Unification Church, a religious sect long mired in controversy. Among the items cited were a Chanel handbag and a Graff diamond necklace, both symbols of wealth and influence that prosecutors argued were bribes intended to secure favor.
Prosecutors had estimated that the stocks, bribes, and polls tied to Kim’s misconduct were worth a staggering 1.15 billion Korean won roughly $813,000. This figure underscored the scale of the scandal and the extent to which the former first lady allegedly leveraged her position for personal gain.
In delivering the verdict, Seoul District Court Judge Woo In-seong was unsparing in his assessment. “Kim misused her status as a means of pursuing profit … The defendant was unable to refuse the expensive luxury items provided in connection with special favor and was thirsty to receive and decorate herself with them,” he said, highlighting the court’s view of her actions as both deliberate and indulgent.
For years, allegations had also swirled that Kim manipulated stocks between 2010 and 2012 related to Korean BMW dealership Deutsch Motors, earning unfair profits. The optics worsened when Yoon, as president, vetoed a bill that sought a special investigation into his wife’s dealings, fueling public suspicion of favoritism.
But the straw that broke the camel’s back was a $2,200 Christian Dior bag unrelated to the Chanel handbags at the center of Wednesday’s sentencing. In late 2023, a left-leaning YouTube channel released a secretly filmed video showing a Korean American pastor presenting Kim with a calfskin handbag. Their exchange, which took place in 2022 after Yoon’s election, was captured on a covert wristwatch camera and reignited public outrage.
While the court agreed with prosecutors on the bribery charges, it stopped short of convicting Kim on other counts. She was acquitted of stock manipulation and of conspiring with her husband to obtain free public opinion polls. Judges cited insufficient evidence and, in some instances, statutes of limitations that had already expired.
Interestingly, the court also dismissed charges related to a second Chanel handbag, ruling that the evidence did not support a conviction. This partial acquittal underscores the complexity of the legal battle Kim continues to face.
The sentence handed down this week is only the beginning. Kim is currently embroiled in three separate criminal trials, meaning her legal troubles are far from over. Both prosecutors and Kim’s defense team retain the right to appeal Wednesday’s ruling, setting the stage for further courtroom drama.
Her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, is himself serving jail time following a separate corruption scandal. Together, their downfall has shocked South Korea, raising questions about the intersection of politics, power, and privilege in the country’s highest offices.
Public reaction has been swift and divided. Some see the ruling as overdue accountability for a political elite long accused of operating above the law. Others argue that the case reflects selective justice, pointing to the acquittals as evidence of leniency.
For now, Kim Keon Hee’s fate rests in the hands of the appeals process and the outcomes of her remaining trials. What began with luxury gifts has spiraled into a legal saga that could define her legacy and serve as a cautionary tale for those who wield influence in South Korea’s political sphere.
As the nation watches closely, one thing is clear: the story of South Korea’s former first lady is far from over.
