The fall of Korea’s most powerful first lady

The Seoul Central District Court judge on January 28 convicted Kim Keon-hee, wife of former president Yoon Suk-yeol, of corruption for accepting bribes from the Unification Church, including a Graff necklace worth $43,000 and a Chanel handbag.

She was sentenced to 20 months in prison, the first verdict in three criminal cases that the former first lady of South Korea faced.

“The defendant abused his position as a tool for personal gain,” judge Woo In-sung declared.

Ms. Kim Keon-hee used to work in the art industry and founded her own exhibition company before marrying Mr. Yoon in 2012. At that time, Mr. Yoon was still a prosecutor and had not entered politics.

After Mr. Yoon took office as president in May 2022, she appeared different from previous Korean first ladies, who humbly often stood behind the scenes and hid in the shadow of their husbands. Mrs. Kim maintains a prominent image as first lady, often wearing trendy outfits on trips abroad with her husband.

Ms. Kim’s outstanding public image and statements claiming to be the “breadwinner” of the family have shaken a society with heavy patriarchal ideology like Korea. As a famous animal lover, she has done what animal rights organizations have not been able to do for decades, which is to get South Korea to issue a ban on dog meat consumption.

“She played a key role from the moment Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol entered politics and then formed a ‘political partnership’ with him,” special prosecutor Oh Jeong-hee said when the trial began in September 2025. “Mrs. Kim does not hold any official position, but enjoys a position equal to that of the president.”

Mr. Yoon once called Mrs. Kim’s wedding in 2012 the “happiest memory” of his life. He also acknowledged her role in shaping his political career. During the presidential campaign, he said he once woke up at 5-6 a.m. and saw her lying in bed answering messages on his phone.

“I said ‘are you crazy? Why are you still awake?’ She said she was responding to supporters, thanking them and promising to do a good job,” Mr. Yoon recounted at a press conference at the end of 2024.

However, her scandalous personal life has made her a prime target of attack for Mr. Yoon’s opponents. On social networks, critics spread accusations that she had undergone plastic surgery. They also published interviews with men who said they had met her as a nightclub employee in Seoul. Ms. Kim denied the allegations.

Women’s rights organizations have criticized the attacks on Ms. Kim, saying they are a manifestation of a culture of misogyny. However, they were also upset that she expressed sympathy for a politician convicted of sexual violence against his secretary.

Ms. Kim Keon-hee also faced persistent accusations of plagiarism, leading to the revocation of her master’s degree from Sookmyung Women’s University in the summer of 2025. Kookmin University later revoked her doctoral degree.

Accusations of stock manipulation of Deutsch Motors (BMW distributor in Korea) from 2010 to 2012 to gain illegal profits have also surrounded Ms. Kim for many years. Her image worsened when Mr. Yoon, as president, vetoed a bill requiring a special investigation targeting his wife.

The Christian Dior bag worth $2,200 is considered “the final straw”. At the end of 2023, a YouTube channel published a secretly filmed video in which a Korean-American pastor gave Ms. Kim a leather bag. The meeting between them took place in 2022, after Mr. Yoon was elected, and was recorded by a secret camera attached to the pastor’s wristwatch.

South Korea’s anti-corruption law prohibits public officials and their spouses from accepting work-related gifts worth more than $750.

This scandal exploded and caused Mr. Yoon’s support rate to fall to a record low. Many people criticized her for “manipulating” the “blind” man, referring to Mr. Yoon. Even the conservative media, which supported him, gradually lost patience.

“Only one person, President Yoon Suk-yeol, can clarify that Kim Keon-hee is not the leader of South Korea. But we all know he cannot do it and that is the tragedy,” Kim Sun-duk, editorial writer for the conservative newspaper Dong-A Ilbowritten in October 2024.

By the end of 2024, according to surveys, the majority of Koreans support the opposition’s request to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations against Ms. Kim. Mr. Yoon continuously opposes such bills.

“If they throw stones, I will take it and keep going,” he said.

Mrs. Kim was almost absent from the public eye until Mr. Yoon declared martial law on the evening of December 3, 2024, pushing the nation and both husband and wife into a much larger crisis.

Investigators said Mrs. Kim appeared to be unaware of her husband’s plans to impose martial law. The night Mr. Yoon declared martial law, Ms. Kim was visiting a plastic surgeon. After the plan failed, Ms. Kim loudly became angry with Mr. Yoon for “ruining everything,” according to prosecutors.

Mr. Yoon was impeached and dismissed. Special investigations were also quickly conducted against him, his wife and his subordinates.

Ms. Kim was arrested in August 2025. After a 180-day investigation, Min Joong-ki, the leader of the special prosecutor’s team, said on December 29 that Ms. Kim Keon-hee used her position as the president’s wife to easily receive money and expensive goods, and also extensively interfered in personnel appointment and nomination decisions.

Earlier this month, the court sentenced Mr. Yoon to five years in prison for resisting arrest and preventing cabinet members from discussing martial law. He also faces eight criminal trials on other charges. Prosecutors sought the death penalty for him on charges of “leading a rebellion”. The court will issue a decision next month.

It is not uncommon in Korea for a Korean president to end his career in prison. Mr. Yoon himself, when he was a prosecutor, contributed to the deposition of former president Park Geun-hye, who was imprisoned for corruption and abuse of power. However, this is the first time a former presidential couple has been jailed at the same time.