A special counsel team in Seoul has further indicted former first lady Kim Keon Hee on charges of accepting luxury gifts from individuals seeking business favors. The charges involve items worth millions of won, including jewelry and a handbag. This follows her earlier indictment on corruption charges.
On Friday, December 26, 2025, a special counsel team in Seoul further indicted former first lady Kim Keon Hee, wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, on charges of taking luxury gifts from multiple people seeking business favors. The charges include accepting Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry worth more than 100 million won (US$69,213) from the chairman of a construction company in 2022, in return for appointing his son-in-law to an official post. That same year, she received a gold turtle from Lee Bae-yong, who sought appointment as head of the National Education Commission.
Along with Kim, six individuals, including the two mentioned, were indicted for providing valuables to the former first lady in exchange for business favors around 2022. Additional charges involve a luxury watch from a businessperson seeking favors and a Dior handbag from a Korean American pastor, who secretly filmed their meeting and publicized the video through an internet news outlet in 2023. Prosecutors had previously decided not to indict Kim in the handbag case, but that decision has been appealed.
The special counsel team considered charging Kim with bribery but did not, after failing to establish that Yoon was aware of the gifts. The suspected bribery charge will be handed over to police for further investigation, as the team's term is set to expire soon. Earlier this month, prosecutors sought a 15-year prison term for Kim on separate corruption and bribery charges. The team stated that all criminal proceeds obtained by Kim will be thoroughly confiscated. This development comes amid ongoing political scrutiny following Yoon's ouster.
