Former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee Arrested on Corruption Charges

The Seoul Central District Court has issued an arrest warrant for Kim Keon Hee, wife of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, on multiple corruption-related charges including bribery, election interference, and stock manipulation.

The warrant, approved on Aug. 12, makes Kim the first former First Lady in South Korea’s history to be arrested. Her detention comes just a month after Yoon’s arrest on July 10 over his failed martial law attempt.

According to Korean media outlets, Kim faces 16 separate criminal allegations. Among them is her alleged role in manipulating the share price of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealership in South Korea, between 2009 and 2012.

She also allegedly meddled in candidate nominations during the 2022 parliamentary by-election and the 2024 general election, as well as accepting luxury gifts from the Unification Church via a shaman known as Geonjin, in exchange for business favours.

One high-profile allegation involves Lee Bong Kwan, chairman of Seohee Construction, who reportedly gifted Kim a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace worth 60 million won shortly after Yoon’s presidential victory in March 2022.

Kim was later seen wearing the very same necklace during a NATO trip with Yoon in June 2022. This was a great controversy as the item wasn't listed in her official asset disclosure.

When questioned, Kim claimed she had borrowed a fake version for the trip. Prosecutors, however, presented both the genuine necklace allegedly from Lee and a counterfeit version found at the home of Kim’s brother-in-law’s mother as evidence.

#SouthKorea first lady Kim Keon Hee accused of accepting a bribe and admitted to lying in her resume.
A spy camera footage appeared to show a pastor gifting her a Dior bag, is causing political turmoil. The presidential office confirmed receipt of the bag, stating it is being… pic.twitter.com/1M5cm7ArN9
— Asian Entertainment And Culture (@AsianEAC) August 11, 2024
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Other Korean media outlets also alleged that Kim had altered the route of an expressway project and directed the road to her family-owned land in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province.

It was also alleged that her family received preferential treatment in an apartment construction project. However, Kim denied all charges during the Aug. 12 hearing.

Arrest, Citing Concerns Of Evidence Tampering

Special prosecutors argued for Kim’s detention, citing concerns that there might be a high risk of her destroying evidence.

Her legal team tried to push back on her arrest, citing she was in poor health and had previously fully cooperated with investigators on the case. Despite this, the court approved the arrest warrant.

Kim was originally slated for transfer to Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. However, the Uiwang facility requested for her to be sent to the Seoul Nambu Detention centre instead, the place where Yoon is currently being held.

According to Yonhap reports, Kim is currently detained in a solitary cell which is reportedly six to ten square meters in size with full amenities such as a locker, foldout table, television and a toilet.

She was also reported to have a separate bath and exercise hour from the rest to prevent interactions with other inmates.