Kim Keon Hee closes her eyes as she appears for the first hearing in her corruption charges at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Sept. 24, 2025. [NEWS1]
Former first
lady Kim Keon Hee, who is standing trial on charges of accepting lobbying requests and favors in exchange for expensive jewelry and other luxury items, recently paid the remaining balance of 29 million won ($19,200) for a Vacheron Constantin watch to a robot dog entrepreneur, according to legal sources Monday.
Kim is currently on trial for allegedly receiving a Vacheron Constantin wristwatch worth 39.9 million won from robot dog entrepreneur Seo Seong-bin in September 2022, along with a request for business-related support.
Seo reportedly bought the watch for around 34 million won and delivered it to Kim. During questioning by the special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki, Kim previously stated that she had paid Seo 5 million won as a down payment and "forgot" to pay the rest.
Kim transferred the remaining balance of the Vacheron Constantin wristwatch to Seo earlier this month, and the transaction record was later submitted to the Seoul Central District Court, which is handling the case regarding charges of accepting bribes for mediation under the Act on Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes, according to legal community.
Both Kim and Seo have maintained that there was no lobbying involved and that Seo had merely acted as a proxy purchaser for the watch.
Former first lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, after her warrant hearing on Aug. 12, 2025. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Kim’s attorney explained the delayed payment of the remaining balance by saying, “She had forgotten about it due to various issues, including mental health.”
Some legal experts speculated that the latest payment may have been intended to seek leniency in sentencing. A ruling in the alleged influence-peddling case involving Kim is scheduled for June 26.
The special counsel team led by Min sought a prison sentence of seven years and six months for Kim during the final hearing on May 15.
In addition to the Vacheron Constantin watch, Kim is accused of receiving luxury jewelry worth a combined 103.8 million won from Lee Bong-kwan, chair of construction firm Seohui Construction, between March and May 2022 in exchange for favors regarding the appointment of his eldest son-in-law. The items allegedly included a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, a Tiffany & Company brooch and Graff earrings.
Kim is also accused of receiving a gold turtle worth 2.65 million won from former National Education Commission Chair Lee Bae-yong, a Dior bag worth 5.4 million won from pastor Choi Jae-young and a painting by artist Lee Ufan worth 140 million won from former senior prosecutor Kim Sang-min.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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