S. Korea’s ex-first lady embroiled in new scandal: She sat on throne at Gyeongbokgung Palace
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Guenjeongjeon was where the monarchs of the Joseon Kingdom held state-level events and welcomed envoys from foreign countries.
PHOTO: THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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SEOUL – Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former president Yoon Suk Yeol and no stranger to scandal, has touched off yet another controversy, as it was recently revealed she sat on the throne at Gyeongbokgung Palace during a 2023 visit.
The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) on Oct 22 confirmed that Kim had sat atop the throne located in Geunjeongjeon, the main throne hall of the main palace of the Joseon era (1392-1910), during a welcoming ceremony for guests from the United Arab Emirates.
Kim and her companions had not been officially scheduled to enter Geunjeongjeon, where she was present for nearly two hours in the afternoon on Sept 12, 2023.
According to the KHS, the presidential office requested the visit and the chief of the agency at the time gave the order for preparations. The throne Kim sat on was not the original one used during the Joseon Kingdom, but a replica built later.
Kim’s dubious visit to Geunjeongjeon sparked major backlash from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea at a parliamentary audit on Oct 22, as well as from the public.
Geunjeongjeon, South Korea’s National Treasure No. 223, was where the monarchs of the Joseon Kingdom held state-level events and welcomed envoys from foreign countries. It is one of the most popular spot for tourists in Gyeongbokgung, though visitors are prohibited from entering the main area.
According to the heritage authority, Geunjeongjeon symbolised the authority of the monarch and the Joseon Kingdom, with statues of hechi – a mythical divine guardian – erected around the hall.
The KHS confirmed that no past president had ever sat on the throne.
National Museum of Korea chief You Hong-june, who formerly headed the agency and testified at the parliamentary hearing on Oct 22, said he thought Kim sitting on the throne was “wrong, as do all the people (in South Korea)”.
This is not the first time Kim has been accused of compromising the country’s heritage for personal use during her husband’s tenure as president. It was revealed in September 2024 that she and her guests drank tea in a typically inaccessible section of Jongmyo, a shrine from the Joseon era.
None of the six people present at the meeting held an official position in the South Korean government at the time. It was also found that security cameras in the area had been turned off for the duration of the visit.
Yoon’s office at the time refused to confirm the meeting was a personal event due to security reasons.
Kim’s Jongmyo visit was brought up again in the parliamentary audit in 2025.
Mr Huh Min, chief of the KHS, said he would request an investigation if necessary and impose punitive actions against officials involved in accordance with the results. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
