The political downfall of former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol has been dramatic, but his wife, Kim Keon Hee, has faced an equally stunning collapse of her own.
Kim, once a high-profile first lady known for her polished image and taste for luxury fashion, was sentenced in 2026 to one year and eight months in prison for bribery.
The ruling marked a historic moment: it is the first time in South Korea’s modern democratic era that both a former president and a former first lady have been jailed simultaneously.
Before entering public life, Kim built a career in the art world. She founded an exhibition planning company and was well connected in cultural circles.
When she married Yoon in 2012, he was still serving as a career prosecutor and had not yet launched his political career.
Her background, independent, professional and fashion-conscious, set her apart from previous presidential spouses, who traditionally maintained a quieter, more reserved public presence.
But controversies began surfacing even before Yoon won the presidency. In 2021, Kim publicly apologized for exaggerations in her academic and professional résumé.
That apology did little to quiet scrutiny. Allegations of academic plagiarism persisted, eventually leading to the revocation of both her master’s and doctoral degrees by two universities.
The decisions intensified public criticism and reinforced perceptions that ethical questions surrounded her long before criminal charges were filed.
The most serious legal troubles stemmed from bribery accusations linked to the Unification Church. A court found that Kim had accepted luxury items, including a Chanel handbag and a Graff diamond necklace, from individuals connected to the religious organization.
South Korea’s anti-graft laws prohibit public officials and their spouses from receiving gifts valued above a specified limit if connected to official duties.
Although the court cleared her of some additional charges, including stock manipulation and receiving certain other gifts due to insufficient evidence or expired statutes of limitation, it concluded that she had improperly accepted high-value items.
The optics of luxury proved politically toxic. A separate controversy involving a Christian Dior handbag, secretly filmed during a meeting with a pastor, further damaged public trust.
While the footage did not clearly show her accepting the bag, critics argued she failed to reject it outright.
The incident triggered a sharp drop in approval ratings for her husband’s administration and amplified accusations that the first couple had grown disconnected from ordinary citizens.
Meanwhile, Yoon’s own presidency was unraveling. His decision to declare martial law in late 2024 led to impeachment, removal from office, and eventually a life sentence for insurrection.
As investigations widened, prosecutors examined whether Kim had used her position to influence appointments or benefit from political connections. Though not all allegations resulted in convictions, the accumulation of scandals eroded public confidence.
Throughout the proceedings, both Kim and Yoon denied intentional wrongdoing. Supporters argue that political polarization fueled aggressive investigations.
Critics contend the cases reflect deeper problems of privilege and abuse of influence at the highest levels of power.
South Korea has seen former presidents imprisoned before, including Park Geun-hye, but the imprisonment of a former presidential couple marks an unprecedented chapter.
For many South Koreans, the saga represents both the resilience of the country’s legal institutions and the high cost of ethical lapses in public life.
Kim Keon Hee’s trajectory from art executive to first lady to convicted defendant underscores how personal conduct can become inseparable from political fate in a nation where public accountability remains intensely scrutinized.
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