1999 – Kim earns an art‑education degree from Sookmyung Women’s University, which later gets annulled in 2025 after plagiarism is uncovered, highlighting early academic controversy [2].

2009 – Kim founds the art‑exhibition firm Covana Contents, establishing a business platform later scrutinized in corruption investigations [2].

2010‑2012 – Prosecutors allege Kim participates in a stock‑price manipulation scheme involving Deutsch Motors, allegedly earning about 800‑810 million won; the charge later gets dismissed for insufficient evidence [2][15].

April‑July 2022 – Kim receives luxury items from the Unification Church—including a Graff diamond necklace and Chanel handbags worth roughly 80 million won—in exchange for business and political favors, later forming the core of the bribery conviction [1][2][8].

September 2022 – Spy‑camera footage captures Kim being handed a Chanel bag worth 3 million won, exceeding South Korea’s anti‑graft gift limit for officials and spouses [2].

2023 – Kim is cleared of tax‑evasion charges, though a special counsel re‑examines the case in 2025, reflecting ongoing financial scrutiny [2].

2025 – A court annuls Kim’s university degree after confirming plagiarism, underscoring her troubled academic record [2].

August 2025 – Kim is arrested by a special counsel on multiple corruption charges, beginning a high‑profile legal battle that leads to her detention pending trial [2][3][10][12].

December 3, 2025 – A Yonhap photo shows Kim attending the opening of her corruption trial at the Seoul Central District Court, marking the public start of the proceedings [13].

December 16, 2025 – Lawyers for Lee Jong‑ho, a close associate of Kim, allege he gave her 300 million won in checks, adding a new layer of alleged influence‑peddling to the case [16][17].

January 16, 2026 – Former President Yoon Suk‑yeol receives a five‑year prison sentence for abuse of power and obstruction tied to his 2024 martial‑law bid, making him the first ex‑president jailed and setting the stage for a historic dual conviction [2].

January 28, 2026 – The Seoul Central District Court sentences Kim Keon Hee to 20 months in prison and orders a forfeiture of 12.8 million won for accepting a Chanel bag and Graff necklace from the Unification Church; the judge notes she “did not solicit the bribes” and has “no significant criminal record,” while acquitting her of stock‑manipulation and poll‑fund charges [1][2][3][9][10][11][12][13][14][15].

January 30, 2026 – Special counsel Min Joong‑ki files an appeal, arguing the court “seriously misunderstood the facts” and imposed an unduly lenient sentence on Kim, signaling the prosecution’s intent to seek a harsher penalty [8].

February 2, 2026 – Kim’s lawyers submit an appeal to overturn the 20‑month term and the 12.8 million won forfeiture, asserting she never received the necklace and contesting the classification of the Chanel bag as a business favor, while prosecutors also lodge an appeal seeking a 15‑year term [4][5][6][7].

Future (2026‑2027) – Yoon Suk‑yeol’s ongoing trial for leading the 2024 insurrection and additional charges proceeds alongside Kim’s appeal, indicating that both members of South Korea’s first presidential couple face further judicial scrutiny and potential higher sentences [4][5][6][8][10][11].