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‘The man’ of her household: The rise and fall of South Korea’s ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee
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South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee, who tried to style herself after Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, is the country’s first former first lady to be imprisoned.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Choe Sang-hun
SEOUL – From the first days of her husband’s presidency, Kim Keon Hee was unlike other South Korean first ladies, who stayed in their partners’ shadows.
Her high profile – and her comments like she was “the man” of her household – rattled the country’s patriarchal society. A prominent dog lover, she accomplished what animal rights groups had tried but could not for decades: make South Korea ban dog meat for food. At the same time, she was prone to scandals and was accused of overstepping her role, leading to many misogynistic attacks against her.
