South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee arrested on graft charges

South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee has been jailed after a court approved her arrest on bribery, stock fraud and influence-peddling charges, making her the only former first lady in the country’s history to be detained.

Kim, 51, was formally booked into the Seoul Nambu Detention Center on Wednesday, a facility opened in 2011 and run by a female warden. The court issued the warrant late on Tuesday, citing the risk that she could destroy evidence during an ongoing investigation by a special prosecutor.

The charges against Kim include failing to declare a luxury Van Cleef pendant reportedly worth more than 60 million won ($43,000) worn at a NATO summit in 2022, as well as accepting two Chanel bags valued at 20 million won ($14,380) and a diamond necklace from a religious group allegedly in exchange for favourable influence. Prosecutors allege the pendant was genuine and gifted by a domestic construction company, though Kim told investigators it was a fake bought two decades ago in Hong Kong.

Her lawyers have denied the accusations and dismissed media reports about some of the alleged gifts as unfounded. Kim apologised to the public last week for “causing concern” and described herself as “a nobody.”

She is being held in a solitary cell equipped with a small table and floor mattress, with separate access to a common shower.

She will be allowed one hour of outdoor exercise each day except Sunday, scheduled to avoid contact with other inmates.

Meals, costing about 1,500 won ($1.08), are the same as those given to other prisoners. Wednesday’s breakfast included toast with strawberry jam, sausages and salad according to reports.

Kim, a wealthy businesswoman who founded a fine art curation agency, owns most of the couple’s assets, including their apartment in an upscale district of Seoul. Her fashion choices and policy advocacy, such as pushing for a ban on dog meat, have previously sparked controversy in a country where first ladies typically maintain a low profile.

A former judge and prosecutor who worked with Yoon described Kim as having “a politically strategic mind” and being a driving force behind her husband’s political rise. The couple married when Yoon was 52 and Kim was 39.

Yoon Suk Yeol, president from May 2022 until his ouster in April 2025, is currently on trial for insurrection over a failed attempt to impose martial law in December. He faces the possibility of life imprisonment or the death penalty, charges he denies.

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