South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon-hee was in the dock this week as her showstopper criminal trial got underway in the Seoul Central District Court. While her husband Yoon Suk-yeol faces his own legal troubles over a martial law move during his failed presidency, 53-year-old Kim faces a raft of charges, including stock manipulation and corruption.

She has been in custody since August and her case ― involving diamonds and designer handbags alleged to have been received as bribes ― is linked to the controversial group formerly known as the Unification Church.

The leader of what is now called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), Han Hak-ja, was arrested on September 23 on charges of improper solicitation, graft and embezzlement.

NHK World editor-in-chief and former Seoul bureau chief Aoki Yoshiyuki looks at the case so far and its impact beyond the headlines.

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