South Korean First Lady Kim Keon-hee is at the center of a political storm, marking a tumultuous time for President Yoon Suk-yeol and his administration. Days after the President imposed martial law on December 3, social media posts revealed that it was intended to shield him from investigation.
A meme reported by SCMP on December 12 referred to President Yoon as “the greatest lover who declared martial law for his wife.” Other memes compared Kim to historical figures such as Lady Macbeth, known for convincing her husband to commit suicide for power, and Marie Antoinette, who is often seen as out of touch with the public during the crisis .
The South Korean opposition is criticizing the 52-year-old woman and demanding an investigation into her alleged crimes, including stock manipulation and corruption.
Who is Kim Keon-hee?
Born in September 1972 in Gyeonggi Province, Kim Myeong-sin changed her name to Kim Keon-hee in 2008.
Kim graduated from Kyonggi University with a master of arts degree and founded Kovana Contents, an art exhibition company, in 2009.
She married President Yoon Suk-yeol in 2012. The couple have no children, but have six dogs and five cats.
Kim is an animal rights advocate who aims to end dog meat consumption in South Korea before her husband’s presidential term ends. Known for her fashion choices, she was honored as a “Fashionista” during the 2022 NATO summit for her outfit.
Kim Keon-hee: controversy
In 2021, it was revealed that Kim had made false claims on her CV when applying for teaching positions. In 2007, he applied for a position at Suwon University and claimed to have worked as the director of the Korea Association of Game Industry (K-Games) since 2002. However, K-Games was founded in 2004, and Kim never worked there. There. She also claimed to have studied at New York University in 2006, but the program she mentioned was only available to MBA students, and Kim was not enrolled. In 2013, she submitted a resume to Anyang University, claiming that she had won the 2004 Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival award, but according to a Korean outlet report, there is no record of her receiving any awards at the event. Was.
Just before Yoon became president in 2022, Kim and his mother were accused of manipulating stock prices for Deutsche Motors, making profits of 2.3 billion won. He was later cleared of the charges in October 2023, although his account remained involved. Earlier this year, President Yoon vetoed a bill that would have sought to investigate allegations against his wife, the BBC reported.
The first lady was also criticized for accepting a $2,200 Christian Dior handbag from a Korean-American pastor who sought influence over the president in November 2022. While the controversy led to allegations of corruption, prosecutors later decided not to pursue charges.
In a 2023 documentary, Kim reportedly claimed to have significant influence over her husband, saying, “That fool is just a puppet,” and was making inappropriate comments during recorded phone conversations.
President Yoon, who served as Prosecutor General of South Korea from 2019 to 2021 before becoming president, has consistently supported his wife. In an interview with The Times, he said that his wife had “suffered a lot” because of her political career and claimed that the media had “demonized” her.
