The beautiful former first lady of South Korea, who “received a Chanel bag twice”, “acted with arrogance” while seated on the throne of a national treasure.

‘I couldn’t turn down the persuasion’

Diamond necklace by Graff of England, luxury bag by Chanel of France. ……

Kim Keon-hee, 53, the former first lady of South Korea and a high-profile figure in Japan, allegedly received a total of nearly 10 million yen in brand-name goods from a former member of the Unification Church. Kim, who is facing charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, has consistently denied receiving the luxury goods since her indictment in August of this year. However, Kim was arrested in August of this year and has consistently denied receiving any luxury goods.

I admit that I received a Chanel bag twice.

On November 5, Kim’s defense team made a comment to the press, admitting the charges. On the other hand, he also claimed the following.

At first, I refused to accept the bag, but I was persuaded and could not refuse. I deeply regret my mistake. I did not use any of the items I received and returned them. I deny having received the necklace. （There has been no collusion, no collusion, no quid pro quo (with the former Unification Church) of any kind.”

The reason for the change in attitude is said to be that a former member of the Unification Church admitted to receiving luxury goods from Kim in another trial.

When her husband, Yun Suk-yeol, assumed the presidency in May 2010, Kim was hailed both at home and abroad as the “beautiful first lady. The number of registered users of her fan site “Keon-Sarang (I love Keon Hee)” quickly exceeded 80,000. She is currently charged with more than 15 crimes, including manipulating stock prices and benefiting religious organizations.

The “gap” between her and her husband

Why did Kim’s life take a turn for the worse at the height of his popularity? Shinichi Hen, editor-in-chief of Korea Report and an expert on Korean society, answers.

Before Yun assumed the presidency, Kim had refrained from public activities, saying, ‘I will do my best to help others. But as soon as Yun became president, she became more outspoken, showing up with her husband on outings and willingly participating in meetings with dignitaries. Behind the change in Kim’s attitude is the “gap” between her and Yun.

At the time of their marriage in March 2012, Mr. Yun, a public prosecutor, had an annual income of only about 2 million yen, while Kim, who owned an event company and taught at a university, had assets in the hundreds of millions. Kim, who fed Yun with her own money, must have taken pride in the fact that she was the one who made her husband president. This “arrogance” may have caused her to grow arrogant and to accept brand-name products from her supporters.

Kim’s behavior has also been criticized as “arrogant. A video released by a South Korean journalist in October of this year revealed that she sat on the throne, a national treasure, when she visited a storage room containing treasures of the Joseon Dynasty. Mr. Byeon continues.

“She must have developed a conceit and misunderstanding that she is a princess, having made her husband a ‘king’ president. But her future is doomed, because she has been charged with more than 15 crimes. If all the charges are added up, she will not only be imprisoned for 5 or 10 years, but she may be imprisoned for life. There is a good chance she could be imprisoned for life.”

The first trial of the former first lady, who has become a hot topic in Japan, is scheduled to conclude in November.