Key facts
- Former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced to seven years in jail for bribery.
- The Seoul Central District Court found Kim guilty of accepting bribes, including a Chanel bag and a Graff diamond necklace.
- She was acquitted of stock manipulation and conspiring to receive free public opinion polls due to insufficient evidence or expired statutes of limitations.
- Prosecutors had sought 15 years in prison and estimated the total value of alleged illicit gains at 1.15 billion Korean won (approximately $813,000).
South Korea's former First Lady Kim Keon Hee has been sentenced to seven years in jail for bribery by a Seoul court. The ruling on Friday found Kim guilty of accepting bribes from the Unification Church, including a Chanel bag and a Graff diamond necklace. However, she was acquitted of charges related to stock manipulation and conspiring with her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, to receive free public opinion polls, with the court citing insufficient evidence and expired statutes of limitations.
Prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison sentence and estimated the total value of alleged illicit gains, including stocks, bribes, and polls, to be 1.15 billion Korean won (approximately $813,000). Judge Woo In-seong stated that Kim "misused her status as a means of pursuing profit" and was unable to refuse expensive luxury items, but also noted that she did not ask for the gifts and is now self-reflecting.
Kim Keon Hee, who has denied wrongdoing, has faced scrutiny for over a decade, including allegations of inflating her resume and academic plagiarism, which led to universities revoking her degrees. Yoon Suk Yeol is also facing separate legal proceedings.