SEOUL — A Seoul court on Wednesday sentenced former first lady Kim Keon Hee to 20 months in prison for accepting luxury gifts linked to the Unification Church in exchange for favours, while acquitting her of two other high-profile allegations that had dogged the former presidential couple for years.
The Seoul Central District Court found Kim guilty of taking bribes that included Chanel handbags and a Graff diamond necklace/pendant provided through church-linked figures seeking influence with the president’s spouse. The court also imposed a 12.8 million won (about $9,000) fine and ordered confiscation of the necklace, according to Reuters and local reporting.
Presiding Judge Woo In-sung rebuked Kim for leveraging the visibility of her role, saying a first lady has no formal state authority but still represents the country and must not set a bad example. The court said Kim “failed to refuse” the luxury items and was “preoccupied with adorning herself,” concluding she “misused her position as a means of pursuing personal gain.”
Kim was cleared on charges tied to (1) alleged participation in the Deutsch Motors stock-price manipulation scheme and (2) allegedly receiving free opinion polling from broker Myung Tae-gyun ahead of the 2022 election that her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, won. Prosecutors said they would appeal the acquittals, Reuters reported.
The prosecution had sought a far heavier punishment — 15 years in prison and multi-billion-won fines — but the court cited factors including Kim’s lack of a significant criminal record and the finding that she did not actively solicit the gifts.
The verdict lands weeks after Yoon, who was removed from office, received a five-year prison sentence in a separate ruling tied to obstruction related to his failed martial law declaration in December 2024. He is also facing multiple additional trials, including an insurrection case in which prosecutors have sought the death penalty, Reuters said.
The broader probe has also ensnared the Unification Church’s leadership. Church leader Han Hak-ja was arrested in 2025 as investigators alleged senior figures directed bribery efforts; she has denied wrongdoing.
