South Korea prosecutors arrest ex-first lady in corruption probe

Soo-Hyang Choi, Bloomberg News on Aug 12, 2025

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SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Keon Hee, wife of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, was arrested late Tuesday in an ongoing investigation into allegations ranging from suspected stock manipulation to bribery, investigators said.

The arrest was made after the Seoul Central District Court approved an arrest warrant for the former first lady, who was embroiled in a Dior bag scandal that shook the country’s politics early last year.

Kim’s legal representative did not immediately respond to a Bloomberg News request seeking comment.

South Korea has a long list of leaders who’ve seen their fortunes turn after they left office, but it’s the first time ever in the country’s history that a former president and his wife are in detention at the same time. Kim is also the first ever former first lady in South Korea to be arrested.

Investigators are looking into a wide range of issues, from allegations that Kim received a luxury handbag and a necklace to suspicions that she was involved in a stock manipulation scheme between 2009 and 2012.

Kim’s arrest comes four months after her husband and former president was ousted over the martial law fiasco that shocked the nation and the world. Yoon himself was arrested last month in his second time in custody since his failed bid to impose martial law in early December. The couple is incarcerated at different detention centers.

Kim apologized as she appeared for questioning last week, but she has denied any wrongdoing, according to Yonhap News.

Yoon suffered a major defeat in parliamentary elections last year after accusations that Kim received a Dior handbag under questionable circumstances escalated into a political firestorm. The election results significantly weakened Yoon’s position less than halfway into his single, five-year term. His presidency was eventually cut short by his impeachment, which led to a snap election in June.