South Korea’s ex-first lady reportedly hospitalised for depression

Sources say Kim Keon-hee was admitted for psychiatric treatment after experiencing severe hyperventilation

South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon-hee has reportedly been hospitalised in Seoul with severe depression as pressure mounts from a sweeping special counsel inquiry into scandals linked to her alleged misconduct – including stock manipulation, bribery and election interference – during her husband’s presidency.

Kim, wife of impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol, was admitted to hospital on Monday and is receiving psychiatric treatment, according to sources in the legal and medical communities cited by the Korea JoongAng Daily.

The sources said she had initially sought outpatient care for depressive symptoms last week, but doctors advised immediate hospitalisation given the severity of her condition. Kim declined at first but was later admitted, experiencing episodes of hyperventilation that required additional treatment by pulmonologists.

Yoon visited Kim on Monday evening after concluding his court appearance earlier that day, staying with her until late.

Kim’s time as first lady was marred by a string of scandals that contributed to Yoon’s plunging public support.

She was filmed in 2022 receiving a Dior handbag worth around 3 million won (US$2,200) from Korean-American pastor Choi Jae-young, triggering a bribery investigation that was later dropped due to lack of evidence linking the gift to official duties.

Separate allegations involve shaman Jeon Seong-bae, who is suspected of delivering luxury gifts to Kim on behalf of a Unification Church executive, including two Chanel handbags and a Graff diamond necklace worth around 60 million won.

Kim is also accused of trying to influence local elections through ties to self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun, who allegedly ran illegal opinion polls and manipulated nominations via his Future Korea Research Institute.

President Lee Jae-myung, Yoon’s liberal successor, authorised a major special counsel investigation last week into the allegations against Yoon and Kim, including those dismissed under the previous administration. The inquiry is set to be South Korea’s largest-ever special probe and involve over 500 investigators.

Central to the probe are claims of Kim’s involvement in stock manipulation and bribery. Min Joong-ki, a former chief judge at the Seoul Central District Court, will lead the special investigation.

Aside from the special counsel probe, Kim is also facing institutional fallout over academic misconduct. On Monday, Sookmyung Women’s University announced it had revised its academic rules to allow the retroactive cancellation of degrees granted before 2015, clearing the way to revoke her 1999 master’s degree after confirming plagiarism in her thesis on painter Paul Klee.

The allegations first surfaced in late 2021 and were upheld earlier this year following an internal review. With no objection filed, the revocation is now proceeding. Kookmin University is expected to follow up by invalidating her 2008 PhD, which required a valid master’s for admission.

“If the master’s degree required for admission to the doctoral programme is cancelled, the doctoral degree is considered invalid from the outset,” a Kookmin University official said. “Therefore, the university will proceed with the revocation process without revising the academic regulations separately.”