Kim Keon Hee becomes 1st ex-first lady to stand trial in Korea’s history

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee enters a courtroom at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, Wednesday, to attend her first trial on bribery and stock manipulation charges. Joint Press Corps

Kim Keon Hee, wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, attended the first hearing of her corruption trial Wednesday, about six weeks after her arrest.

Her appearance marked the first time in Korea’s history for a former first lady to stand trial on criminal charges.

The Seoul Central District Court permitted reporters to take photos and film her for about one minute from her entry into the courtroom.

As she entered, Kim was wearing a navy suit instead of prison uniform — attire allowed for a prisoner who has not been convicted yet. A prison badge marked with the number 4398 was attached to her jacket.

During the identification process, as the judge asked her occupation, she answered “unemployed.” She also declined the option of a trial by jury.

Kim's detention and indictment came after the launch of a special counsel team in July aimed to investigate multiple allegations involving her.

The 51-year-old is accused of participating in the manipulation of Deutsch Motors shares between 2009 and 2012. She allegedly conspired with company executives and financiers to generate around 810 million won ($580,000) in illicit profits.

The counsel team also alleges that before the 2022 presidential election, she and her husband benefited from opinion polling services worth about 270 million won provided free of charge by a political broker, in violation of campaign finance laws.

She is also accused of receiving luxury goods, including a diamond necklace and designer handbags valued at around 80 million won, from former Unification Church officials in exchange for political favors after Yoon's election victory.

The investigators estimated her total illegal earnings to be around 1.03 billion won and sought a court order to freeze her assets.

The first hearing was centered on procedure and the formal reading of charges, and finished in 40 minutes. Further sessions in the coming weeks are expected to bring testimony and evidence.

Kim is the first former first lady in Korean history to be imprisoned and tried on criminal charges. Adding to the gravity of the proceedings, Yoon himself is also on trial, facing insurrection charges regarding his martial law declaration in December.

The special counsel team said they would extend the investigation period, which is set to expire next Monday, for another 30 days, as allowed by the relevant special law, as they still have a lot to investigate, more witnesses to question and additional evidence to collect.