Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Kim Keon Hee admits receiving 2 Chanel bags, denies bribery or ties to husband’s presidential duties
Kim Keon Hee, wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, attends her first trial hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, Sept. 24. Joint Press Corps
By Bahk Eun-ji
Former first lady Kim Keon Hee admitted Wednesday that she received two Chanel handbags from an individual associated with the Unification Church, acknowledging the gifts for the first time but denying allegations of bribery or that they had any connection to her husband’s official duties.
In a statement released through her lawyers, Kim said she had accepted “two handbag gifts from Jeon Seong-bae,” a spiritual figure also known as “Geonjin,” who was allegedly acting on behalf of Yoon Young-ho, a former official of the Unification Church. However, the lawyers added that there was “no collusion with the church and no form of solicitation or quid pro quo involved.
Kim also rejected prosecutors’ claims that she accepted a Graff diamond necklace valued at 62 million won ($43,000).
“The allegation about the necklace is clearly untrue,” her lawyers said.
This is the first time Kim has acknowledged receiving luxury goods since her indictment in August on charges of bribery and stock manipulation linked to Deutsch Motors, a local BMW dealer. She had previously told special prosecutors that she had never accepted any of the items.
Investigators allege that in 2022, Yoon sought government support for Unification Church projects and events by providing gifts through Jeon — including the two Chanel handbags worth about 8 million won and 12 million won, and the diamond necklace. One of Kim’s former presidential office aides, Yoo Kyung-ok, reportedly visited Chanel boutiques to exchange the items for other products.
Kim’s lawyers said she initially refused the gifts but “failed to reject them completely after repeated persuasion” from Jeon. The statement said the bags were never used and had been “returned to Jeon long ago.”
“As the spouse of a public official, she should have been more prudent,” the statement continued. “She deeply regrets the inappropriate conduct that disappointed the public and sincerely reflects on her actions.”
Meanwhile, her lawyers criticized the investigation, saying Jeon’s testimony “changed multiple times from the early stages of the probe to the courtroom” and that the special counsel “violated due process by questioning him for long hours without allowing his attorney to be present.”
Her latest statement marked a shift toward acknowledging the basic facts while disputing the legal interpretation — namely, that the gifts were not connected to any official favor. The reversal came after Jeon testified last month that he had, in fact, delivered the items to Kim, despite having previously claimed that they were lost. He later submitted the handbags and the necklace to the special counsel as evidence.
Kim’s lawyers maintain that “the alleged solicitations were never conveyed to her” and that “the President’s official authority was not involved in any way.” They added that Yoon Young-ho, the former Unification Church official, testified in court that he had never made any specific request to either Kim or former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
“The facts clearly show that the alleged requests do not meet the legal elements of bribery,” the statement said.
Currently detained at the Seoul Detention Centre, Kim has applied for bail, citing dizziness, anxiety and memory problems. The court has yet to set a date for the bail hearing.