An appeals court in South Korea on Tuesday increased the corruption sentence for former first lady Kim Keon Hee to four years in prison, more than doubling her previous sentence after she unsuccessfully appealed a prior conviction. The court found her guilty of stock manipulation and bribery.
The court ruled that Kim participated in manipulating the price of thinly-traded shares of Deutsch Motors, reversing a lower court's acquittal on that charge in February. It also found that she accepted two Chanel bags and a Graff necklace worth around 80 million won (approximately $55,000) from the Unification Church, knowing the organization expected political favors in return.
“Kim exerted her influence as first lady and committed bribery,” the lead judge said. “She damaged public trust in government transparency and caused a rift in public opinion over national affairs.” The court also imposed a fine of 50 million won and ordered the confiscation of the necklace.
Kim was additionally found guilty of illegally backing a candidate in a 2022 by-election but was cleared of separate election law violations. Her lawyers announced they would appeal to the Supreme Court.
A small group of supporters gathered outside the courtroom, holding banners with slogans such as “Yoon, again,” “Make Korea Great Again,” and “Reset Korea.” Kim, known for her efforts to ban the dog meat trade, has been embroiled in multiple scandals, including a hidden camera video of her accepting a luxury Dior handbag in 2023.
The scandals contributed to her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, losing his parliamentary majority in April 2024 elections. The opposition pushed three bills to investigate Kim, each vetoed by Yoon. His last veto came in November 2024, a week before he declared martial law, leading to his impeachment and removal from office.
Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment in February 2025 for his role in the martial law attempt, which he is appealing. He claims he acted in the country's best interests and accuses political rivals of collusion with North Korea.
Source: www.dw.com