Who Is Kim Keon-hee, South Korean First Lady With A Row Of Scandal?

YOGYAKARTA - Kim Keon-hee, wife of former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, is back in the spotlight after the country's special prosecutor filed a warrant for his arrest. Kim is suspected of being involved in a case of stock manipulation and bribery.

The indictment includes a violation of the Capital Market Law and the Law on Severe Punishment for Certain Economic Crimes.

If granted, this will be the first time in the history of the South Korean constitution where a former president and first lady were arrested simultaneously. Her husband, Yoon Suk-yeol, has been detained since last January due to a military emergency declaration that sparked his impeachment in April.

Kim's controversy is nothing new. She is suspected of being involved in a bribery scandal, receiving a luxurious gift when her husband served as president, to manipulating stocks.

These scandals reinforce speculation that its influence has contributed to the political crisis that led to Yoon's impeachment. Yoon himself previously vetoed three special investigative bills trying to investigate these allegations. So who is Kim Keon-hee, the South Korean first lady with so many controversies?

Reporting from AlJazeera, Kim Keon-hee was born in September 1972 in Gyeonggi Province with Kim Myong-sin's first name. He then changed his name to Kim Keon-hee in 2008.

Kim Keon-hee graduated from Kyonggi University with an art title. He later founded his own art exhibition company called Covana Contents in 2009 before marrying Yoon in 2012.

According to local media reports, the couple had no children, but kept about six dogs and five cats.

Kim is an animal rights activist and has pledged to end dog meat consumption in his country before her husband's term as president ends.

In addition, Kim Keon-hee has attracted the attention of fashion fans around the world because of her fashion choices at various national and international high-level meetings.

At the NATO summit in Spain in 2022, the South Korean newspaper called it a "fashionista" because of its choice of clothing, which includes a white cocktail dress and a black-and-white patterned suit he mixes with a black belt.

More than just her glamorous clothes, her art business, and her struggles in the field of animal rights, various scandals have raised Kim to become the center of attention. Here are some highlights.

In 2021, a year before Yoon became president, Kim was accused of falsifying his academic credentials when applying for teaching jobs in the past.

According to a report in Korea JoongAng Daily, Kim admitted that he had served as director of the Korean Game Industry Association (K-Games) since 2002 when he applied to Suwon University in 2007. However, the fact is that the organization was only founded in 2004 and Kim was not recorded as having worked there.

Not only that, Kim also claimed to have studied at the University of New York in 2006. Unfortunately, the program he mentioned at that time was only intended for active MBA students, and Kim was not registered as a student at the institution.

In 2013, in a CV sent to Anyang University, he claimed to be the recipient of an award from the 2004 Seoul International Card & Animated Festival.

However, at the award ceremony sponsored by the country's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there was no record that Kim Keon-hee had won the award.

"I made a mistake while trying to balance my career and studies," Kim said at a local press conference in 2021 when the allegations came to light.

She added that her mistake in placing her husband's presidential candidacy from the People's Power Party "in a difficult position".

Shortly before Yoon took office as president of the country in May 2022, the opposition Democratic Party accused Kim and her mother of manipulating the stock price of the Deutsch Motors car dealer, and generating 2.3 billion won (1.68 million).

However, the First Lady was acquitted of the allegations in October 2024, when the Seoul Central District Attorney's Office anti-corruption division found that although its stock trading account had been used in the incident, Kim himself was not aware of the manipulation.

Kim's name resurfaced in a major scandal at the end of 2022 after a video circulated showing her receiving a luxury Christian Dior brand handbag worth USD 2,200.

The footage was taken secretly at Kim's company office in Seoul by a Korean-American priest, who disguised himself as someone who wanted to buy political influence through Kim.

The priest later revealed that the action was part of an undercover operation to prove allegations of corruption in the circle of power of the President. The opposition views Kim's actions as a violation of South Korea's anti-corruption laws.

In October 2024, South Korean prosecutors said they would not file a lawsuit under the anti-corruption law against Kim.

Adding to the controversy, a documentary titled First Lady premiered in Seoul in December 2024 and contains a recording of a telephone conversation between Kim and investigative journalist Lee Myung-soo of Voice of Seoul, which reveals claims of the state's mother's influence on her husband.

In one of the conversations with the journalist, Kim allegedly said, "I don't think Yoon Suk-yeol is the real president. The stupid is just a doll."

In addition, Kim asked reporters why she really liked women and said she could read lines to predict someone's love life. Kim said the journalist had "strong sexual force" and was popular among women.