December 30, 2025
SEOUL – Controversial former first lady Kim Keon Hee has been found to have violated a wide range of laws in using her status to receive bribes and to meddle in state affairs where she had no authority, Special Counsel Min Joong-ki’s team concluded in Monday’s briefing.
The special counsel at 10 a.m. announced the results of the 180-day probe into Kim, her close aides, and those accused of involvement in her alleged crimes. Twenty people were arrested and 76 were indicted in all across 31 cases, related to an estimated 1.46 billion won ($1.01 million) in criminal proceeds.
Min said the team uncovered new evidence that Kim received luxury items and works of art due to her position as the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, as well as evidence related to existing allegations that Kim received bribes from the Unification Church and interfered in state affairs such as relocating the presidential residence.
“As far as what we found so far, Kim used her position as the president’s spouse to easily receive expensive items, and interfered in a broad range of personnel decisions and nomination processes,” Min said. “Due to the presidential spouse’s abuse of authority, we have found in multiple cases that Korea’s public system has been substantially infringed upon.”
The key accomplishments of the team were investigations of long-disputed allegations that were closed when Yoon was president. This included Kim’s alleged involvement in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation scheme, for which Kim was cleared last year after attending a single questioning session with prosecutors.
Several pieces of evidence backing the allegation — including a recording of Kim’s voice — were discovered by the special counsel, and she was indicted under the Capital Markets Act, pending court decision expected on Jan. 28.
Lee Jong-ho, Kim’s close aide and manager of her bank account related to the Deutsch Motors scandal, testified earlier this month that he gave her 300 million won in checks as profits from the investment. This was not included in the arraignment made on Dec. 3, but the admission is widely believed to be an attempt by Lee to reduce his sentence.
Another case closed under Yoon’s authority was the allegation that Kim received a luxury bag from a Korean American pastor. The special counsel team summoned the pastor and indicted both him and Kim — each for illegal solicitation and for receiving bribes in exchange for mediation.
Kim is suspected of having received items worth 377.25 million won since her husband was elected president. It was recently found that Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon of Yoon’s People Power Party and his wife also gave the former first lady a luxury bag.
“Even though his wife repeatedly and consistently received items, Yoon has told the special counsel that he did not know of this at all. It is hard to believe his account,” said assistant special counsel Kim Hyung-geun.
Despite this, the official said there was not enough evidence to confirm that Yoon knew his wife was allegedly taking items in exchange for favors. This is why Kim was charged with bribery in exchange for mediation instead of the bribery of a public official, which entails heavier punishment.
The special counsel team said the connection between Kim’s alleged bribes and Yoon — along with other allegations that had not yet sufficiently been investigated — will be transferred to the National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency.
The assistant special counsel said that multiple parties went to Kim instead of Yoon himself for favors, and their requests were granted.
“It can be said that the special counsel confirmed that the presidential spouse illegally interfered with state affairs behind the scenes,” he said, calling her actions “a destruction of the constitutional order.”
Min’s team also investigated suspicions that Kim received luxury items from the Unification Church, for which the church leader Han Hak-ja is currently under trial. People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong is also alleged to have received a bribe from the church in exchange for exercising his influence in the party as the then-floor leader.
Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman and Kim’s confidant widely known as “Geonjin Beopsa,” is suspected to be involved in solicitation from the Unification Church.
“The investigation found that the Unification Church approached Yoon and Kim via Kweon and Jeon, central figures in the Yoon administration, which involved high-priced items. This was to ensure that the church could realize its ideas of ‘theocracy’ and ensure that its policies and business were reflected in state policy,” assistant special counsel Park Sang-jin said.
The Myung Tae-kyun scandal, in which the political pollster Myung allegedly provided free opinion polling for Yoon and Kim in exchange for input in the parliamentary nomination process — has led to indictments of the couple and Myung under the Political Funds Act.
Min’s team said they found evidence for other bribery cases implicating multiple parties, along with favors involving the relocation of the presidential residence.
Investigators also found that route changes for the Yangpyeong Expressway — with the new route ending adjacent to the Kim family’s land — were conducted without justifiable reason, under orders from Yoon’s presidential transition team. Several public officials have been indicted for abuse of power and bribery, with the remainder of those investigations to be handed over to the NOI.