As the Republic of Korea's 13th President Yoon Suk-Yeol's term nears its one year anniversary, news surrounding his spouse, Kim Keon-hee, continues to make the headlines among other political events as she actively gains supporters and critics alike. During President Yoon's electoral campaign, the now First Lady of South Korea continuously came under fire for incidents about which either President Yoon or Kim herself apologized publicly or issued official explanatory statements. As Kim seems to expand her political presence in recent months to help her husband in his presidential years, the media continues to be as divided as it always is regarding any influential figure's persona and agenda. While distinguishing between publicity stunts and genuine behavior along with defamation attempts from the opposing party is becoming harder in modern media, a brief look at Kim Keon-hee's professional past can help make those distinctions.
Kim Keon-hee had been praised for being a successful entrepreneur, and the first Korean first lady to live a professional life — CEO of Covana Contents, entrepreneur, and stock trader. Covana Contents is an art exhibition company responsible for showcasing the works of famous artists such as Andy Warhol, Van Gogh, and Marc Chagall; in 2019, the company dedicated a socially progressive exhibition to artists with disabilities — which Kim Keon-hee preferred to call "Artists among Artists", tackling the social stigma. Although President Yoon’s net worth is one of the smallest among other former presidents, Yoon and Kim’s cumulative net worth roughly equates to 7.6 billion KRW according to an official government report published on August 26, 2022, with Kim owning most of it — around 7 billion won. President Yoon partially explained the source of his wife’s wealth, saying that she made profits from the 1990s IT boom through stock trading and her business as an art exhibitor. But the first lady’s wealth raised some eyebrows in the media, from backlash for wearing an unreported necklace valued at over 60 million KRW to accusations of Deutsche Motors' stock price manipulation. Additionally, it had also been proven that early in her career, Kim exaggerated about prizes she won and the duration of her employment when applying to teaching positions. Nevertheless, among the legitimate entrances in her portfolio, Kim Keon-hee is a well-educated arts major, who has given lectures at some of the nation's top universities. Considering her job as an art exhibitor in a bloated industry with multi-million dollar art pieces, her wealth doesn't seem unachievable, however everything is yet to be proven.
Although Kim Keon-hee has been in the spotlight of critics throughout her husband's presidential campaign and now tenure, Kim has not made many, if any at all, news headlines before. But since then, Kim left her daily job to support her husband, preferring to be called "The President's Spouse" rather than the "First Lady". She publicly apologized and bowed for her actions regarding resume falsification, explained that the 60 million KRW necklace was borrowed from an acquaintance, asserted that the stock price manipulation accusation was made on the basis of a leaked written transcript of a personal call — which was dismissed by the presidential office as a false report not long after. From some point of view, the President's Spouse seems like an ambitious entrepreneur who got thrown into the world of politics. She publicly expressed her intent to be a "quiet" wife supportive of her husband. As a person, Kim Keon-hee described herself as a quieter spiritual person interested in discussions regarding the meaning of life, and her husband described her as "a person who has been going to church diligently since she was a child and memorizes the Old Testament". However, just like the world of business, politics is an environment where keeping your hands completely clean is nearly impossible for those striving for extraordinary success, with perhaps the biggest difference being the merciless competition for power.