Key facts
- Former first lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced to seven years in prison.
- She was found to have exploited her status to receive expensive gifts and influence appointments.
- Prosecutors sought a 15-year sentence and a 2 billion won fine.
- Evidence included audio recordings of Kim discussing profit-sharing.
- Kim Keon Hee has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Former first lady Kim Keon Hee has been sentenced to seven years in prison for exploiting her status as the president's spouse to receive expensive gifts and influence personnel and candidate nominations. The special prosecutor team, which investigated for 180 days, announced its final findings on Monday, addressing allegations that had been raised both before and during her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol's, term.
The special prosecutor team stated that Kim played a leading role in political matters from the early stages of Yoon's entry into politics and continued to do so after his election. Assistant special counsel Oh Jeong-hee described their relationship as a "political collective."
During the investigation, 16 charges were examined, including stock price manipulation and bribery linked to the Unification Church. Prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison sentence and a 2 billion won ($1.39 million) fine for Kim. Seventy-five other individuals connected to the alleged offenses, including the former president, were indicted.
Among the allegations were involvement in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case between 2009 and 2012, where individuals manipulated the share price of a BMW dealer. Although Kim was cleared of related charges in October, the special counsel later secured additional evidence, such as audio recordings of Kim discussing profit-sharing, which were cited in the sentencing request.
Kim is also accused of conspiring with Yoon from 2021 to 2022 to obtain opinion polls for free from political broker Myung Tae-kyun to influence candidate nominations for the 2022 local elections. In return, Myung allegedly sought favors, including a nomination for a parliamentary by-election, with the former first couple believed to have exercised influence on his behalf.
Prosecutors also allege that in 2022, the Unification Church sought policy favors by offering support to then-presidential candidate Yoon. After his victory, the church allegedly delivered luxury goods to Kim through a shaman in exchange for assistance on government backing for the church’s preferred official development assistance projects.
In a separate trial hearing last month, the special counsel team demanded a 7 1/2-year prison term, stating Kim repeatedly used her presidential spouse status for personal gain. Kim has pleaded not guilty, asserting she received gifts but without specific requests tied to them. In April, an appeals court had sentenced Kim to four years in prison in a different corruption case.