August 7, 2025
SEOUL – Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, made an unenviable mark on the country’s history by becoming the first former first lady to be investigated by the prosecution as a criminal suspect.
Kim, 52 appeared for questioning Wednesday morning by a special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki that is tasked with looking into allegations involving the former first lady.
Kim’s appearance came a little over a month after the team was officially launched on July 2.
“I sincerely apologize to the people for causing concern, even though I am a nobody. I will fully cooperate with the investigation,” Kim commented to reporters before entering the special counsel’s office, accompanied by her legal representatives.
Asked about what she had to say to the people, Kim responded briefly, “I’m sorry.”
Though former first ladies Lee Soon-ja, the wife of former President Chun Doo-hwan, and Kwon Yang-sook, the wife of former President Roh Moo-hyun, were summoned by the prosecution in 2004 and 2009, respectively, they were summoned as persons of interest.
News concerning summons for both Lee and Kwon was only revealed after the completion of the respective investigations, meaning neither entered the prosecution in view of the public.
Likewise, no wife of a sitting president has appeared publicly before authorities for questioning in South Korea’s constitutional history.
Though the special counsel team was set to conduct its questioning of Kim at 10 a.m., the original schedule was delayed by more than 20 minutes due to the former first lady’s belated arrival. Kim departed her residence in Seocho-gu, Seoul at around 9:30 a.m.
The face-to-face questioning session was conducted without any video recording.
The investigation continued late into the afternoon with several breaks.
Assistant special counsel Moon Hong-ju shared in a briefing that Kim made her statements without exercising the right to remain silent.
“The investigation is currently a little more than halfway complete. There’s a possibility that it could take longer than expected, so it’s difficult to say when the questioning will be concluded,” said Moon, adding that the team was unable to provide specific information regarding the second summons.
Kim’s attorney previously requested that the questioning sessions be conducted on separate days for the individual charges. Her legal representatives also asked that a three- or four-day break be guaranteed between each summons and for all sessions to be concluded before 6 p.m.
But the special counsel declined, saying that the summons and investigation would be conducted in accordance with the law.
Min’s special counsel team is probing 16 cases involving Kim Keon Hee. But investigators have announced that they plan to question her on topics regarding her alleged involvement in the stock price manipulation of imported car dealer Deutsch Motors, a bribery case and influence-peddling in 2022 by-elections.
While the stock price manipulation case centers on Kim’s alleged involvement in illegal trading schemes targeting Deutsch Motors shares between 2009 and 2012, the bribery case is linked to Kim’s ties to Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman more widely known as Geon Jin.
A high-ranking official in the Unification Church, identified by the surname Yoon, is suspected of giving luxury items to Jeon as an intermediary to give to Kim, following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s 2022 presidential election win.
The church official is suspected of attempting to lobby Kim through Jeon in order to gain support for projects in Cambodia in the church’s interests. Jeon is alleged to have made attempts to deliver the gifts to Kim.
But the former first lady has denied having received such items.
Meanwhile, the election interference scandal centers on political broker Myung Tae-kyun, who is suspected of having received about 90 million won ($65,000) from former lawmaker Kim Young-sun on several occasions from 2022 to 2024. This was allegedly in exchange for Myung’s help in securing her nomination on the party ticket ahead of the 2022 by-elections.
The former presidential couple is thought to have interfered in the then-ruling party’s candidate nominations.
The special counsel team has raised the additional suspicion that Kim omitted a luxury necklace, which she wore during a trip for a NATO summit in 2022, from the disclosure of her assets.
The investigators reportedly suspect possible quid pro quo involving the necklace.
The special counsel also included allegations that former President Yoon made a false statement during a People Power Party presidential primary debate in 2021 regarding Kim’s suspected involvement in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation scandal.
More special counsel summonses are expected for Kim, as issues concerning the Seoul-Yangpyeong highway project and a sudden surge in midsized South Korean builder Sambu Construction’s stock price were not covered in Wednesday’s questioning.
After securing evidence and testimony through multiple search and seizure operations and summonses over the past month, the special counsel team arrested individuals involved in key suspicions at the center of the probe before questioning Kim on Tuesday.
The special counsel team has up to 150 days to complete its investigation, meaning it can continue until Nov. 29, according to the special counsel bill to probe former first lady Kim.