Kim Gon Hee
Kim Gon Hee was found guilty of receiving bribes in the form of luxury items between April and July 2022. The judge of the Seoul Central District Court determined that she conspired with a shaman named Kyeongjin Beopsa to receive these gifts in exchange for her services.
Additionally, Kim was also a suspect in manipulating shares of Deutsch Motors, the local representative of BMW in South Korea. The allegations were that she, along with the former chairman of the firm, planned to obtain about 810 million won (approximately $559,500). However, in this part of the case, the woman was acquitted.
In December 2025, prosecutors, led by special prosecutor Cho Eun Seok, sought 11 years in prison, a 2 billion won fine, and the confiscation of 810 million won for stock manipulation and "influence peddling."
Kim was also accused of conspiring with her husband to obtain free public opinion polling services worth about 270 million won ($1.4 million) from Men Tae Gyu, a political intermediary who became her close associate, from June 2021 to March 2022. In this case as well, the former first lady was acquitted, despite the threat of imprisonment and the confiscation of 130 million won ($91,400).
Kim was arrested in August 2025 when it was discovered that she had received a diamond pendant from the Unification Church. According to the South China Morning Post, for more than five years she evaded accountability, using her status as first lady despite numerous allegations.
The scandal arose during her husband's presidency in South Korea when Kim was suspected of receiving a gift—a bag from Dior. Under South Korean anti-corruption law, public officials and their spouses are prohibited from accepting gifts worth more than 1 million won ($703.2) or a total value exceeding 3 million won ($2,100) within a financial year.
