Wife of Yoon

Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, has been convicted of multiple criminal offenses following a series of investigations. As of July 2026, she is serving a cumulative prison sentence for bribery, influence peddling, and stock price manipulation. In 2026, the Seoul High Court sentenced Kim to four years in prison for her role in a price-rigging scheme involving Deutsch Motors (2010–2012) and for bribery related to gifts from the Unification Church. Additionally, on June 26, 2026, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced her to seven years in prison for accepting luxury jewelry and goods in exchange for brokering government and political appointments. These convictions involve items including Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry, Graff earrings, Chanel handbags, and paintings. Prior to these rulings, Kim faced numerous controversies, including the 2025 revocation of her academic degrees by Sookmyung Women’s University and Kookmin University due to plagiarized theses. She was arrested on August 12, 2025, becoming the first presidential spouse in South Korean history to be indicted and detained. While she was initially acquitted of certain stock manipulation and political funding charges in a first-trial verdict in January 2026, subsequent appellate rulings overturned these findings. Throughout the legal proceedings, Kim consistently denied the allegations, though she admitted to receiving luxury items, often claiming they were returned or were not tied to favors.