Published: 11:44am, 6 Aug 2025Updated: 1:24pm, 6 Aug 2025
Clad in sombre attire and flanked by flashing cameras, Kim Keon-hee offered a rare apology on Wednesday as she became South Korea’s first former first lady to face public questioning – a symbolic reckoning in a country where political scandal rarely fades away quietly.
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The wife of ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol is being investigated by special prosecutors probing her putative role in a web of alleged corruption, stock manipulation and political interference.
As Kim, 52, arrived at the Seoul office of Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, she was confronted by a barrage of shouted questions and camera lenses, in what has become a ritualistic moment of accountability for those in South Korean public life.
Turning to the assembled crowd, her voice subdued by the media clamour, Kim said: “Even though I am so insignificant, I sincerely apologise for causing public concern.”
“I’ll fully cooperate with the investigation and return,” she added before disappearing inside the building and away from view.
The sight of a former first lady being summoned so publicly is unprecedented in South Korea, a nation accustomed to seeing politicians and business leaders humble themselves before the press in moments of public reckoning. While two previous first ladies have faced private questioning, Kim is the first to be called before the cameras.