South Korea’s Kim Keon-hee ignores Yoon in frosty courtroom reunion
In a tense 30-minute hearing, the estranged couple made eye contact only once as she testified.
In a dramatic and frigid courtroom scene, former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon-hee testified as a witness against her husband, ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol. The hearing at the Seoul Central District Court lasted a mere 30 minutes, marking the couple's first encounter in nine months since Yoon's arrest after a failed attempt to declare martial law. Observers noted the profound chill between them; they made eye contact only once throughout the proceedings. Yoon, seated at the defendant's table in a suit bearing an inmate number tag, appeared gaunt, with age spots and hair turned almost entirely silver, a stark contrast to his former appearance.
Kim Keon-hee, who was herself convicted on separate corruption charges in January, wore a standard black suit and white shirt, removing her face mask only to speak. Her testimony was brief and terse, limited to confirming her relationship to the defendant. The encounter underscored the complete personal and political rupture between the once-powerful couple, now both entangled in legal battles. The scene served as a potent symbol of the dramatic fall from grace for South Korea's former first family, whose tenure ended in constitutional crisis and subsequent prosecutions.
- The 30-minute hearing was the first meeting between the ex-president and first lady in nine months since his arrest.
- Kim Keon-hee, convicted on corruption charges herself in January, gave terse testimony, making eye contact with Yoon only once.
- Yoon Suk-yeol appeared visibly aged and thinner, with silver hair, while watching his wife testify from the defendant's table.
Why It Matters
The frosty encounter symbolizes the dramatic legal and personal downfall of South Korea's former first family, highlighting ongoing political tensions.