Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee Faces Legal Scrutiny Over Election Allegations

Legal Troubles for Kim Keon Hee

Seoul: South Korean prosecutors have summoned former first lady Kim Keon Hee for questioning this week regarding allegations of influence-peddling linked to the 2022 parliamentary by-elections, as reported by legal sources on Monday.

Kim, who is married to the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, received a summons from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, requiring her presence as a suspect on Wednesday.

She is accused of breaching the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act, with claims that she assisted former People Power Party (PPP) Representative Kim Young-sun in securing the party's nomination for the 2022 by-elections through Myung Tae-kyun, a self-identified power broker. In exchange, Myung allegedly conducted favorable public opinion polls for Yoon ahead of the presidential election, according to reports from Yonhap news agency.

Additionally, Kim is implicated in the PPP's candidate nominations for both the 2022 local elections and the upcoming 2024 general elections.

As of now, Kim has not publicly addressed the summons.

"We have not yet finalized our official stance," stated a lawyer representing the former first lady to Yonhap News Agency.

Prosecutors are reportedly contemplating the possibility of seeking a warrant for Kim's detention should she ignore repeated summonses without valid justification.

Earlier in 2025, Kim Keon Hee faced increasing public scrutiny regarding her alleged involvement in the country's brief martial law decree, with accusations of election interference and text messages sent to an official just before the December incident.

The Opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has suggested that the potential for public exposure regarding the first couple's alleged interference in the nomination process for a local parliamentary by-election in 2022 pressured former President Yoon Suk-yeol into initiating the long-planned action.