The court proceedings revealed that Kim Gon Hee conspired with a shaman named Kyeongjin Beopsa, allowing her to receive bribes in the form of luxury gifts in exchange for her services from April to July 2022.
Additionally, she faced charges of manipulating shares of Deutsch Motors, which is the local representative of BMW in Korea. According to the prosecution, Kim and the former chairman of the company plotted to gain over 810 million won (about $559,500). However, she was acquitted in this case.
In December 2025, the prosecution, led by special prosecutor Cho Eun-sok, sought an 11-year prison sentence for Kim, along with a fine of 2 billion won and the confiscation of 810 million won for stock manipulation and "influence peddling."
Moreover, Kim was suspected of colluding with her husband to obtain free public opinion polling services worth about 270 million won ($1.4 million) from Meng Tae-kyun, who became her political ally. She also faced potential imprisonment and the confiscation of 130 million won ($91,400) in this case, but she was acquitted.
Kim was arrested in August 2025, and a key point in the investigation was a diamond pendant received from the Unification Church. As noted by the South China Morning Post, for over five years, Kim used her status as First Lady to evade legal consequences despite numerous allegations.
During her husband's presidency, a scandal erupted in South Korea related to a gift—a Dior bag. The country's legislation prohibits government officials and their spouses from accepting gifts worth more than 1 million won ($703.2) or a total of more than 3 million won ($2,100) in a financial year.
