“I Hardly Eat Anything”… South Korea’s Former “Beautiful First Lady”—A Life That Took a Dark Turn: “Living in a 4-Tatami-Mats Room, Given Underwear”

“I have to sleep all day and hardly eat anything. I don’t even have the energy to get up.”

At the first hearing of the appeal trial for Kim Keon-hee (53), the wife of former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, held at the Seoul High Court on August 26, a witness for the defense testified as follows regarding her current condition.Ms. Kim, who is being held at the Seoul Detention Center, is said to be in extremely poor health due to accumulated physical and mental exhaustion. On the same day, Ms. Kim’s attorney, Yoo Jeong-hwa, posted the following on her social media account:

“I cannot lightly say that Ms. Kim will recover soon. However, thanks to the warm words sent by her supporters, she is receiving adjustments to her medication and intravenous treatment while in detention. We intend to continue paying close attention to her health.”

Once hailed as “the world’s most beautiful First Lady,” why has Ms. Kim ended up in detention, so emaciated that she cannot even eat? What crime did she commit? *FRIDAY Digital* has been reporting in detail on Ms. Kim’s troubles and her complicated relationship with former President Yoon since immediately after her arrest.Here, we would like to revisit the circumstances and background that led Ms. Kim to this dire situation――.

80,000 fans in her fan club

“Will I ever be able to live with my husband again…?”

Ms. Kim, who was arrested on August 12 of last year on charges including bribery and influence peddling, reportedly confided this to her defense team.

Ms. Kim is a figure who has drawn attention not only in South Korean society but also in Japan. The charges against her number as many as 16 (her husband, Mr. Yoon, faces 12). These include stock price manipulation, improper interference in the selection of candidates for the ruling party at the time, and providing favors to religious organizations in exchange for money and gifts…Of particular concern are the numerous luxury brand items she is alleged to have received from supporters in exchange for, among other things, appointing relatives to high-ranking government positions. The total value of these items—including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, a Tiffany brooch, and a Chanel bag—is estimated to exceed 20 million yen.

Mr. Byun Jin-il, editor-in-chief of *Korea Report* and an expert on South Korean society, offers his analysis.

“Before Mr. Yoon took office as president, Ms. Kim said she would ‘devote herself entirely to supporting her husband behind the scenes’ and even refrained from appearing in public with him. However, as soon as Mr. Yoon became president, she began taking a more prominent role—appearing alongside him in photos during overseas trips and actively participating in meetings with dignitaries.She instantly became the focus of public attention, and her fan club, ‘Gon-hee Love’ (I Love Gon-hee), gained about 80,000 members.

Behind Ms. Kim’s change in attitude lies the “disparity” between her and Mr. Yoon. When they married in March 2012, Mr. Yoon—then just a prosecutor—had an annual income of only about 2 million yen, whereas Ms. Kim, who ran an event company and taught at a university, reportedly had assets in the hundreds of millions.Ms. Kim, who was supporting Mr. Yoon with her own money, likely took pride in the belief that “I’m the one who made my husband president.” That “arrogance” may have led Ms. Kim to adopt a haughty attitude, accept luxury goods, and meddle in politics.”

However, Ms. Kim was suddenly toppled from her position of power due to her husband’s downfall and the testimony of the person who had given her the luxury goods. She refused to make almost any statements during the prosecution’s interrogation. Assigned detention number 4398, she is reportedly living in a cell about four tatami mats in size—without air conditioning—having been provided with underwear and towels at the detention center.

The Tragic Fates of South Korea’s Former Presidents

It seems a tragic fate awaits him in the future. Mr. Byun continues.

“As for the charge of bribery by mediation, she received a seven-year prison sentence in June of this year. However, Ms. Kim faces numerous other charges as well.There is even a possibility he may never be released from prison. When she was arrested last August, she confided to her defense team, ‘Will I ever be able to live with my husband again?’ (as mentioned earlier)—words that may have been spoken in anticipation of her own tragic future.

There are many examples of South Korean presidents meeting tragic ends.Chun Doo-hwan was sentenced to life imprisonment in April 1997 on charges including illegal stockpiling, and Roh Moo-hyun took his own life in May 2009.“However, I have never heard of a case like Mr. Kim’s, where the First Lady was convicted of serious crimes on as many as 16 charges. Moreover, the arrest of both husband and wife is a first in South Korean history.”

With both domestic and international observers closely watching future developments, the series of incidents committed by Ms. Kim has shaken South Korean society. Given the dark turn her life has taken, it seems unlikely that Ms. Kim’s emotional distress will ever be healed.