August 10, 2025 | 11:11 am
As South Korea elected a new president in a tight election, public attention also turned to Kim Keon Hee, the wife of the newly elected president Yoon Suk Yeol.
As the founder and CEO of an exhibition planning company, Kim Keon Hee preferred to support her husband quietly behind the scenes.
Kim Keon Hee was born on September 2, 1972, and grew up in Seoul, South Korea. She is the daughter of Choi Eun-sun, who was once involved in a legal case for allegedly operating a nursing home without medical permits from 2013 to 2015, although she was eventually acquitted.
She studied painting at Kyonggi University and later pursued a doctorate in digital content design. In 2015, Kim admitted to being interested in art since childhood.
Kim began her career as a lecturer and in 2007, she founded Covana Contents, a company focused on art exhibition curation. Through her company, Kim successfully brought renowned names such as Alberto Giacometti, Marc Chagall, and Mark Rothko to the South Korean public.
As reported by Straits Time, Kim and Yoon married in 2012 after getting to know each other through mutual acquaintances. In 2018, Kim confessed that her husband at the time was not stable and may not have married if not for her. The couple has no children but lives with four dogs and three cats.
Despite being the First Lady, Kim did not want to stop working just because of her husband's high-ranking position. During the presidential campaign, she chose to stay behind the scenes and expressed her commitment to quietly support her husband so that the president could focus on governing.
Kim's image is now disturbed by a series of serious allegations. During the campaign, the opposition accused Kim of fabricating her academic background when applying for the lecturer position. She admitted to exaggerating her academic experience.
Not yet free from the scandal, Kim's name was once again implicated in the investigation of stock manipulation at a car company, Deutsch Motors.
As reported by Channel News Asia, on August 7, the special investigation team officially requested Kim's arrest on charges of corruption, bribery, stock fraud, and abuse of influence. Her legal team stated that the allegations were politically motivated.
Kim, who was once known as a successful art curator, now faces the possibility of a lengthy legal process. The allegations against her not only affect her personal reputation but also worsen the political image of Yoon's couple as a whole.
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