Was Kim Keon-hee the catalyst for South Korea’s martial law crisis?
Prosecutors now suspect ex-president Yoon’s martial law gambit was a desperate bid to shield his interfering wife from looming prison time
It has long been suspected that Kim was behaving as if she were at the apex of power
The picture emerging from recent disclosures is of a shadow power centre that distorted South Korea’s official chain of command and blurred the line between private interests and public office.
“It has long been suspected that Kim was behaving as if she were at the apex of power,” Ha Sang-bok, a political-science professor at Mokpo National University, told This Week in Asia.
He said the former first lady had “seriously undermined” the official chain of command during Yoon’s time in office, adding: “She has set an example for the roles of a first lady that went awry.”
The message was sent just one day after the Justice Ministry suddenly replaced the investigative team handling her case – an extraordinary reshuffle that critics say neutered the inquiry and shielded Kim from scrutiny.
Kim’s legal team has insisted the personnel changes were routine and “in accordance with established principles”. Opposition lawmakers are unconvinced.
“Exactly as we have suspected, Kim Keon-hee was commanding it all,” Seo said in a social media video, demanding full accountability.
After the reshuffle, prosecutors quietly dropped Kim’s case following an off-the-record interrogation at a safe house. Officials were reportedly asked to surrender their mobile phones before entering – a security step that, once revealed, triggered public outrage and reinforced perceptions of a cover-up.
Special prosecutors are also investigating whether the former justice minister provided Kim with confidential information on a separate investigation into her alleged role in manipulating People Power Party candidate selections for the 2022 by-election – another potential instance of an informal, personalised command network operating outside official protocols.
Yoon has been charged with masterminding an “insurrection” over what prosecutors call a self-coup attempt, while several of his top aides – including the justice minister and senior military commanders – also face criminal charges.
During Yoon’s impeachment hearing in February, former chief of Seoul Metropolitan Police Kim Bong-sik testified that the president had cited unspecified “family matters” when explaining his martial law plan.
Kim recalled being summoned to a safe house three hours before the decree where Yoon railed against “pro-North Korean leftists” and the opposition-controlled National Assembly – cryptically referring to a “family issue” he did not detail amid the tirade.
Both Yoon and Kim Keon-hee are now in custody, standing trial on a litany of charges: Yoon for abusing his authority and leading the failed coup, Kim for multiple counts of corruption and influence peddling.
On Wednesday, prosecutors demanded a 15-year prison sentence for former prime minister Han Duck-soo for his role in supporting Yoon’s martial law imposition – the first sentencing recommendation among dozens of defendants in the coup case.
Drunk on power
A total of 15 people have so far been arrested and charged over the corruption and stock manipulation scandals surrounding Kim. A verdict on her alleged stock rigging, bribery and election interference could come as early as January, with Yoon’s ruling expected the following month.
Meanwhile, Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Kun-young has accused the former president of dereliction of duty, alleging that Yoon Suk-yeol was so inebriated during an intelligence briefing in February 2023 that he had to be carried out by security staff.
The lawmaker also revived claims that Yoon used decoy convoys to create the appearance of punctuality, while secretly arriving late via an underground tunnel and using a sauna to recover from hangovers.
Yoon’s legal team has not responded to these allegations.
South Korea’s Yoon planned to capture, kill political rivals: court
In shock testimony, a former commander claims Yoon Suk-yeol ordered political rivals captured so he could ‘shoot and kill them all’ himself
The claim, delivered under oath at the Seoul Central District Court, stunned the chamber – marking a pivotal moment in a case testing the resilience of the country’s democratic institutions against the re-emergence of authoritarian impulses once thought buried.
Malaysian PM’s war on corruption hits snag as top political secretary quits
The senior aide allegedly demanded bribes in the form of home renovations, a massage chair and washing machines
But since he declared war on corruption in 2023, Anwar’s campaign has hit numerous snags, fuelling doubts over his ability to eradicate a scourge that has cost Malaysia billions of dollars.
Anwar’s senior political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, announced on Tuesday that he had resigned to “defend myself” against attacks linked to issues that could “harm the image of the government”.
Shamsul did not specify the nature of the attacks, but his resignation came just hours after claims surfaced that he had allegedly received more than 600,000 ringgit (US$144,600) in bribes from a businessman linked to a mining scandal in Sabah state.
On Wednesday, Anwar said he had accepted Shamsul’s resignation and stressed that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) “is free” to conduct an immediate investigation without any external interference.
