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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The death toll from floods and landslides following cyclonic rains in the Indonesian island of Sumatra has risen to 303, the head of the country's disaster mitigation agency said on Saturday, up from a previous figure of 174.
Hong Kong on Saturday mourned the 128 people known to have died in a massive fire at a high-rise apartment complex, a toll that is likely to rise with 150 still missing days after the disaster.
The global recall of Airbus A320 aircraft has triggered widespread disruption across several major airlines, forcing flight cancellations in the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
U.S. investigators have recovered the black box recorders from the wreckage of a UPS cargo plane that crashed in flames on takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky. At least twelve people died. The crash sent a wall of fire into an industrial corridor and forced the shutdown of the airport.
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Hong Kong fire authorities said they expected to wrap up search and rescue operations on Friday after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex, killing at least 128 people, injuring 79 and leaving around 200 still missing.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the Latin American region on Thursday, amid a military buildup by President Donald Trump’s administration that has heightened tensions with Venezuela.
Rescuers in Sri Lanka are racing against rising floodwaters and treacherous terrain today after a powerful storm system slammed into the island nation, killing at least 46 people and displacing tens of thousands in a disaster that threatens to strain the country’s resources.
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The death toll from floods and landslides following cyclonic rains in the Indonesian island of Sumatra has risen to 303, the head of the country's disaster mitigation agency said on Saturday, up from a previous figure of 174.
Hong Kong on Saturday mourned the 128 people known to have died in a massive fire at a high-rise apartment complex, a toll that is likely to rise with 150 still missing days after the disaster.
The global recall of Airbus A320 aircraft has triggered widespread disruption across several major airlines, forcing flight cancellations in the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Pope Leo visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday, stepping inside one of the most iconic sites of the Muslim world. He removed his shoes at the entrance in a gesture of respect. He did not appear to pray.
Russian drones and missiles struck several districts of Kyiv early on Saturday, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen. Fires swept through residential blocks as debris rained over the city.
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