[Anchor]

Kim Keon-hee has frequently changed her story since allegations regarding high-end jewelry first emerged in 2022. Initially, she claimed that the luxury necklace she wore was borrowed, only to later assert that she had personally purchased a replica. Regarding other items, she denied any knowledge of them entirely. All of these explanations were revealed to be lies, serving as a basis for her heavy sentence.

Reporter Kim Deok-hyeon has the story.

[Reporter]

In June 2022, the so-called "NATO trio" of jewelry worn by Kim Keon-hee during the NATO summit, including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, is valued at over 100 million won.

When suspicions arose because these items were omitted from her asset disclosure at the time, her initial explanation was that they had been "borrowed."

[Kim Keon-hee (September 2022, video filmed by Pastor Choi Jae-young): I had to have at least some accessories for the overseas trip, so I somehow managed to borrow them.]

However, three years later, in a written response submitted to the prosecution, Kim changed her story, claiming she had "purchased a replica" and did not know where it was at the time.

Then, three months later, during her first special counsel investigation, she offered yet another explanation: "I bought a replica in Hong Kong in 2010 as a gift for my mother, then borrowed it to wear."

In fact, the special counsel team did secure a replica of the Van Cleef necklace from the residence of Kim's mother-in-law's family.

But it was all a lie.

This was because Lee Bong-kwan, chairman of Seohee Construction, who had provided the necklace to Kim, submitted a written statement regarding the jewelry and the genuine item itself to the special counsel team.

[Oh Jung-hee/Former Special Prosecutor for the Kim Keon-hee Case (August of last year): (Seohee Construction) voluntarily submitted and we seized the actual genuine necklace, which had been given to Kim Keon-hee and returned to them for safekeeping several years later. We explained to the court the process by which we secured the genuine necklace...]

This added to suspicions of a "switch," suggesting that Kim had deliberately planted fake evidence.

[Jo Soon-pyo/Presiding Judge, 21st Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court: The defendant, Kim Keon-hee, clearly attempted to conceal traces of her crime while being aware of the investigation, and the circumstances following the crime are also very unfavorable.]

Kim also claimed that she had commissioned a purchasing agent for a luxury watch worth over 30 million won, and maintained throughout the trial that she had never received a high-end painting worth over 100 million won, but both were recognized as guilty.

Despite receiving a series of high-value gifts in exchange for illicit favors, Kim's repeated dishonest behavior—such as calmly denying the facts or hiding items in different locations—ultimately backfired, leading to a heavy sentence.

▶ 'Lee Ufan Painting' Also Ruled Guilty... "She Knew Why It Was Given"
▶ "Involved in Personnel Matters After Receiving 'NATO Trio'... Compromised Fairness"
▶ "Gold Turtle, Luxury Watch, and Bag All 'In Exchange for Favors'"

(Video reporting: Yang Hyun-chul | Video editing: Won Hyung-hee | Graphics: Kim Han-gil)