Kim Keon Hee, the former First Lady of South Korea, has been arrested and is currently held in solitary confinement at the Seoul Nambu Detention Center. She faces charges including stock manipulation, election interference, and bribery. The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant on August 12, 2025, citing concerns that she might destroy or tamper with evidence.
Kim, a former art curator and businesswoman, is accused of receiving luxury gifts such as Chanel bags, a diamond necklace, and a high-value Van Cleef pendant, allegedly in exchange for influencing political processes within the ruling People Power Party. Additionally, she is accused of manipulating stock prices and improperly influencing candidate lists for the party.
Her husband, ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, is also detained and facing insurrection charges related to his failed attempt to impose martial law in late 2024. This marks the first time in South Korea’s democratic history that both a former president and first lady have been detained simultaneously.
Kim’s arrest follows a series of controversies during her tenure as First Lady from 2022 to 2025. She has been under scrutiny for alleged tax evasion, accepting kickbacks for hosting art exhibitions, and falsifying academic credentials. In 2021, reports emerged that she had inflated her résumé with connections to the New York University Stern School of Business. She later publicly apologized and promised to focus solely on her role as Yoon’s spouse.
In August 2022, Kookmin University, where Kim obtained a PhD, found no sign of misconduct in her doctoral thesis. However, a panel of sixteen professors across academia released their own findings to support allegations of plagiarism during her master’s study at Sookmyung Women’s University and her doctoral study at Kookmin. In December 2024, a preliminary internal review from Sookmyung Women’s University concluded that she had indeed plagiarized her 1999 master’s thesis. Kim was given until the end of January 2025 to dispute the decision but did not do so before the deadline expired. On June 24, 2025, Sookmyung Women’s University announced that they would revoke Kim’s degree. On July 21, Kookmin University also revoked her doctoral degree.
The arrest of Kim Keon Hee and her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, has intensified political turmoil in South Korea. The couple has denied all charges, and their downfall follows the rise of left-wing President Lee Jae Myung, who is also under investigation but whose trials have been suspended since taking office. In a move toward “national harmony,” President Lee has recently pardoned several political figures ahead of Korea’s 80th independence anniversary.
Kim’s imprisonment in a solitary cell with minimal amenities, including a floor mattress and a small table, has raised concerns about her health and the conditions of her detention. She had not eaten since her detention and is reportedly in poor health, raising questions about her readiness for upcoming legal proceedings.
The legal proceedings against Kim Keon Hee are ongoing, and the South Korean public remains divided over the implications of her arrest for the nation’s political landscape.
Leave a comment