Kim Keon-hee — The Stunning First Lady of South Korea!

When they landed at Madrid-Barajas Airport in Spain to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, she was wearing a pure white suit. At the Maravillas market, she wore a yellow ruffled blouse and blue skirt that reminded me of the Ukrainian flag.

There is a woman whose popularity has skyrocketed to the point that her fashion and favorite products are in the news every day in South Korea. She is Kim Keon-hee, 49, the wife of the new president, Yun Seong-yeol, 61.

Last December, a fan site called Keon-Sarang (I love you, Keon-Sarang) was launched. Initially, there were about 30,000 members, but since May of this year, when Yun assumed the presidency, the number has surpassed 90,000. Currently, the number is approaching 100,000.

“Mrs. Kim casually shares her personal life on her Instagram. Her favorite white sandals (approx. 3,500 yen) and skirt (approx. 5,500 yen) on her Instagram became the talk of the town and sold out at various stores. They are so popular that a search for “Kim Keon-hee” on a major Korean online shopping site returns more than 2,500 hits,” said a Korean newspaper reporter.

Why is Mrs. Kim attracting so much attention? Mr. Shinichi Byeon, editor-in-chief of “Korea Report,” explains.

She is young, beautiful, and a strong supporter of Yun. Most of Korea’s previous first ladies have been in their 60s, and Mrs. Kim, who is in her 40s, is by far the youngest.’ Her background as a female businesswoman, having established an arts planning company, Kobana Contents, in 2007, is also unique for a first lady.”

Having met through an acquaintance of her mother’s, Mrs. Kim married Mr. Yun when she was 39 years old. Mr. Yun fell in love with Mrs. Kim at first sight. He told her, “I’ll cook for you for the rest of my life. Mr. Byeon continues, “At the time, Mr. Yun was a public prosecutor.

At the time, Mr. Yun was just a public prosecutor and didn’t have much money. Kim later recalled, “He [Yun] had a lot of money. He (Yun) only had about $2 million at the time of our marriage. I had increased my assets and expanded my business during the IT boom that started in the ’90s. Her assets are said to be around 700 million yen. Her financial support helped propel Yun to the presidency.”

There is also this episode that reveals her true character. Professor Lee Sang-chul of Ryukoku University, an expert on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, introduced the episode.

When Yun was the Prosecutor General, a reporter from the video media secretly recorded her conversation in order to find out more about Kim. The audio was released by TV. Mrs. Kim said, ‘I was talking with my husband about living together in a quiet place after I quit as Prosecutor General. The fact that they seemed to be getting along well with each other increased her favorable impression of Mrs. Kim.

Her behavior before attending the NATO summit, which marked her debut in diplomacy, was also highly appreciated.

“She made the rounds to greet each of the previous first ladies before making her first appearance on the international stage. It is not easy to pay this much attention to a senior First Lady. I think that Mrs. Kim is more suited to politics than Mr. Yun,” said Mr. Byeon.

Mrs. Kim is the center of attention for her every move. The first lady’s words and actions will likely be the key to the ups and downs of the Yun administration.

From the July 29 and August 5, 2022 issues of FRIDAY