From Van Cleef to Vacheron, luxury gifts at centre of probe into South Korea's former first lady

The Star

a day ago

South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee, centre, wife of impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol, arrives at a court to attend a hearing to review her arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors, in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. - Pool Photo via AP
SEOUL: The special counsel investigation into former first lady Kim Keon Hee has turned the spotlight on lavish items allegedly gifted to her during her husband's rise to the presidency and his time in office, including a diamond necklace, a high-end watch and designer shoes.
Among the most notable luxury items is a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond necklace, which Kim wore while accompanying then-president Yoon Suk Yeol on their first overseas trip as the presidential couple to the NATO summit in June 2022.
The Snowflake Pendant, crafted from 18K white gold and set with brilliant-cut diamonds, is currently listed on Van Cleef & Arpels' official website for approximately 83.5 million won (US$60,279), but at the time Kim wore it, it reportedly sold for 60 million won.
Yoon's office initially claimed that Kim had borrowed the necklace from an acquaintance.
However, in a written statement to prosecutors in May, Kim said the necklace was a counterfeit.
During questioning by the special counsel team on Aug 6, Kim claimed she had purchased the fake in Hong Kong in 2010 as a gift for her mother and later borrowed it for the NATO trip.
On Aug 12, the special counsel team revealed that it had obtained testimony from Seohee Construction confirming that the company had purchased the necklace and gifted it to Kim.
The investigators have also secured the necklace itself, they added.
Also under scrutiny is a Vacheron Constantin watch.
Investigators suspect that a Historic American 1921 model from the high-end brand, valued at approximately 54 million won at a Seoul boutique in September 2022, was allegedly delivered to Kim by a businessperson surnamed Seo.
He claimed to have purchased the watch at a discounted price of 35 million won through a 'VIP discount'.
While Seo claims he was simply running an errand for the former first lady, investigators suspect the luxury watch may have been given in exchange for a business favour.
The main reason the special counsel team suspects a quid pro quo is the deal Seo's company signed with the presidential office in September 2022, which was for a pilot programme using robot dogs for security.
It was found that the Presidential Security Service had allocated 800 million won to buy robot dogs — a plan that was scrapped after it was revealed by the local daily Hankyoreh.
Raids on the homes of Kim and her family have also uncovered other luxury items, including shoes from Chanel. The shoes are suspected of having been gifted by people related to the religious group Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.
But questions remain over the shoe size, as the Chanel shoes allegedly intended for Kim were size 39 (European), equivalent to about 245mm to 255mm.
This is smaller than Kim's reported shoe size of 260mm.
Kim was previously embroiled in controversy after accepting a luxury Christian Dior handbag, valued at three million won, from a Korean American pastor in 2022.
Their meeting was secretly recorded on a hidden camera, and the footage was released by an online media outlet in November 2023. Prosecutors concluded there was no basis for a criminal charge in the case. - The Korea Herald/ANN