Former first lady Kim Keon Hee attends pre-trial imprisonment hearing over multiple accusations
In the heart of southern Seoul, the ongoing investigation led by Special Counsel Min Joong-ki is shedding light on allegations involving former First Lady Kim Keon-hee. The investigation, which began in August 2025, has seen a series of significant developments.
On August 11, members of Special Counsel Min Joong-ki's team conducted a raid on Seohee Construction's headquarters in southern Seoul. The raid resulted in the seizure of various items, including a luxury Van Cleef & Arpels necklace worth approximately 62 million won, a Cartier bracelet, and a Tiffany brooch. These items were reportedly gifted to Kim Keon-hee and were suspected of being omitted from her official asset disclosures.
Just a day later, on August 12, Former First Lady Kim Keon-hee attended a pretrial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court. Both the Joint Press Corps and YONHAP reported her attendance at the hearing. The special counsel extended Kim's pretrial detention until August 31, 2025, allowing for a more in-depth investigation into the wide-ranging allegations.
The main allegations against Kim include stock manipulation related to Deutsch Motors, political favoritism tied to power broker Myung Tae-kyun, influence-peddling linked to a shaman, and omission of luxury jewelry from financial disclosures. An audio recording suggests Kim used a borrowed-name securities account to manipulate Deutsch Motors shares in 2011, generating illicit profits.
The luxury Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, allegedly gifted to Kim by Seohee Construction shortly after Yoon’s 2022 election, is a key facet of the probe. Seohee Construction’s chairman, Lee Bong-kwan, reportedly confessed to purchasing and gifting the necklace in exchange for a government job for his son-in-law, who was appointed chief of staff for Prime Minister Han Duck-soo a few months later. Kim has denied wrongdoing, claiming the necklace she wore on a NATO trip was a fake bought two decades earlier.
The investigation has expanded to include whether Kim obstructed justice related to the counterfeit's discovery. Additional seized items include a Cartier bracelet and a Tiffany brooch worn by Kim during the 2022 trip, which are also suspected to have been provided by outside benefactors and omitted from official asset disclosures.
The article you are reading has been translated from Korean using bilingual reporter, generative AI tools, and edited by a native English-speaking editor. It has been updated on August 12 and contains chapters with descriptions. The audio for the article is available in three parts (audio_0, audio_1, audio_2), with the second part selected by default. The escape key can be used to cancel and close the modal window.
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