Former South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee stepped into the spotlight at her corruption trial’s first hearing in Seoul on Wednesday. Dressed in a sharp black suit with her inmate number “4398” pinned to her chest, she arrived from a detention center in southwestern Seoul, where she’s been held since August 12.
Wearing a mask that hid part of her face and her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, Kim entered the dock at the Seoul Central District Court. When the judge checked her identity, she calmly stated she’s unemployed, gave her birthday as September 2, 1972, and opted against a jury trial. The court allowed journalists to snap photos and videos for just one minute at the start, before sealing the session.
This marks a historic moment: Kim becomes the first spouse of a former South Korean president to face trial. Her husband, ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, is in his own legal battle over his short-lived attempt to declare martial law last December.
Prosecutors accuse Kim of breaking several laws, including the Capital Markets Act, the Political Funds Act, and rules against accepting bribes for favors. The stock manipulation charge centers on claims she worked with a former Deutsch Motors executive—a BMW dealer in South Korea—and a close aide to rig the company’s shares. That scheme allegedly netted them 810 million won, or about $581,000, in illegal gains from 2010 to 2012.
On the political funds front, authorities say Kim and Yoon got free opinion polls worth 270 million won from a so-called power broker before the 2022 presidential election. In return, they supposedly helped secure a parliamentary nomination for ex-People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun in a later by-election.
The bribery allegation involves luxury gifts totaling 80 million won from a Unification Church official, funneled through a shaman in 2022. Prosecutors claim these came with strings attached—requests for special favors.
The special counsel probing Kim’s case has asked the court to freeze her assets while the trial unfolds. As South Korea grapples with this high-profile scandal, eyes remain on how it unfolds for the former first couple.
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