South Korea’s Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee Indicted on Bribery Charges

Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, has been indicted on bribery and other charges, a special prosecution team announced on Friday, amid a broadening probe into the country’s martial law crisis and scandals surrounding the high-profile couple.

Both Yoon and Kim are currently in jail, with Yoon undergoing trial on charges including insurrection following his removal in April after a failed attempt to impose martial law in December. Special prosecutors, appointed after Yoon’s ouster and since liberal President Lee Jae Myung assumed office in early June, are handling separate investigations into the couple.

Following her indictment, Kim issued an apology for causing public concern and vowed to face trial without excuses. “Just as moonlight shines brightly in the darkest night, I too will endure this time, looking to my truth and heart,” Kim said in a statement conveyed by her lawyers, without addressing specific allegations.

The charges against Kim, which carry potential prison sentences if proven, include stock fraud and suspected bribery involving business owners, religious figures, and a political broker. Her long history of high-profile scandals, some over 15 years old, overshadowed Yoon’s presidency and caused political damage to him and his conservative party.

Kim’s lawyers denied the allegations, describing media reports about gifts she allegedly received as groundless speculation.

The fallout from Yoon’s December martial law order has coincided with a dramatic decline in Kim’s public standing. Once a wealthy businesswoman seen as a key force behind her husband’s rise, she now faces intense legal scrutiny.

On Friday, special prosecutors also indicted former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was appointed by Yoon, on charges of abetting insurrection and committing perjury, a prosecution spokesperson said. “The defendant was the highest constitutional institution that could have stopped the president’s unconstitutional, illegitimate martial law,” spokesperson Park Ji-young added.

Han, a veteran technocrat who served under five presidents, briefly acted as president after Yoon’s impeachment. He was later impeached himself for allegedly aiding Yoon’s martial law declaration but denied wrongdoing, accepting some responsibility for failing to prevent the crisis. The Constitutional Court overturned Han’s impeachment, allowing him to serve until he resigned to contest the June election, though he ultimately abandoned his presidential bid following divisions among conservatives.

Faridah Abdulkadiri 

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