Kim Keon Hee denies ‘Julie’ allegations in testimony

Kim Keon Hee, wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, took the witness stand Wednesday in a trial over the so-called “Julie” allegations, dismissing the claims as false and saying she had never used the name. Kim also testified about her English name, telling the court that people who knew her had long called her “Jenny.”

Appearing before a Seoul Central District Court panel presided over by Judge Han Sung-jin, Kim testified in the trial of Ahn Hae-wook, former chairman of the Korea Elementary School Taekwondo Association, and others charged with violating the Public Official Election Act.

“The allegation is completely absurd,” Kim said. “I never even used the first syllable of ‘Julie’ as a nickname or form of address.”

Prosecutors allege that Ahn and the other defendants appeared on the YouTube channel Open Mind TV during the 2022 presidential election campaign and spread false allegations intended to damage Yoon’s candidacy. Jeong Cheon-su, a former leader of the channel who reported the allegations in an interview format, was also indicted.

Kim entered the courtroom wearing a gray suit, black-rimmed glasses and a white face mask, assisted by court officers. At the request of her legal team, a partition was placed between the witness stand and the defendants after she said sharing the same space with them caused psychological distress. The court, however, denied a prosecution request to close the proceedings to the public.

Although Kim largely declined to testify in previous proceedings, including the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, she answered questions extensively for nearly two hours Wednesday.

When prosecutors asked whether Ahn’s claim was true that he had been introduced in 1997 to a woman known as “Julie” while being entertained by the late Jo Nam-wook, then chairman of Samboo Construction, Kim rejected the allegation outright.

“It’s false,” she said. She also denied claims that Ahn had personally seen her working as a hostess at an entertainment establishment in 1995.

“I was a student then. I never worked as a hostess. It’s simply not true,” Kim testified. She added that she spent most of her time attending graduate school and had little opportunity to engage in such work.

At several points during her testimony, Kim’s voice trembled and she occasionally laughed nervously. “I was devastated when I first heard the ‘Julie’ allegation,” she said. “I’ve been taking psychiatric medication for the past six years because of it. Unless the defendants show genuine remorse, I want them held accountable.”

During cross-examination, defense attorneys asked how her relationship with Yoon evolved into a romantic one. Kim initially responded, “Do I have to answer that?” before agreeing to elaborate. She said she began dating Yoon after former Prosecutor General Jeong Sang-myeong vouched for him as part of what she described as a “Project to Get Yoon Suk Yeol Married.”

“Jeong told me he trusted former President Yoon enough to stake his reputation on it,” Kim said. “That’s when we started seeing each other.”


여근호 기자 yeoroot@donga.com