Chanel handbags and other luxury gifts: South Korea's ex-first lady accused of taking over $200,000 in bribes

South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee has been accused of accepting bribes worth more than $200,000 and illegally intervening in state affairs, prosecutors said on Monday as they wrapped up their investigation.

Kim, the wife of disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol, was arrested in August and is facing multiple allegations, including stock manipulation, accepting gifts from the Unification Church and interfering in parliamentary elections.

Announcing the probe’s conclusions, chief prosecutor Min Joong-ki said South Korea’s institutions had been “severely undermined by abuses of power” linked to Kim’s actions.


Another prosecutor, Kim Hyung-geun, alleged that Kim had “illegally intervened in state affairs behind the scenes, beyond the public's view”.

Investigators said bribes allegedly received by Kim from business figures and politicians amounted to 377.25 million won, or roughly $263,000. Prosecutors said the gifts included two Chanel bags and a Graff necklace from the leader of the Unification Church, along with other luxury items such as high-end jewellery, a painting by renowned South Korean minimalist artist Lee Ufan, a Dior handbag and an expensive wristwatch.

Former president Yoon denied any knowledge of the transactions during questioning, a claim that “many find difficult to accept,” prosecutor Kim Hyung-geun said.

Earlier this month, prosecutors sought a 15-year prison term for Kim, arguing that she had “stood above the law” and colluded with the Unification Church to undermine the “constitutionally mandated separation of religion and state”. They also asked the court to impose a fine of two billion won, or about $1.4 million.

Kim has denied all charges. In her final testimony, she described the allegations as “deeply unjust”.

“Yet when I consider my role and the responsibilities entrusted to me, it seems clear that I have made many mistakes,” she said.

The case comes amid wider political turmoil in South Korea following Yoon’s short-lived declaration of martial law last December in an attempt to suspend civilian rule. He was later removed from office and arrested this year on insurrection charges, which he denies, marking the first time a former South Korean president and his wife have both been detained.

A Seoul court is scheduled to deliver its verdict and sentence Kim on January 28.