South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee has been sentenced to seven years in prison for accepting bribes during and after her husband President Yoon Suk Yeol's time in office. The Seoul Central District Court on Friday found her guilty of receiving jewelry, an expensive designer handbag, and other luxury items in exchange for political favors.

“She exercised her power as first lady to offer jobs and business favors,” lead judge Cho Sun-pyo said, adding that she accepted the bribes “without hesitation.” Kim was also fined 64.8 million won ($42,000), and the court ordered the confiscation of the items she received. She denied the charges, claiming the gifts were not bribes, and her lawyers said they will appeal.

The court found that she received jewelry worth over 100 million won ($64,750) from a construction company owner in exchange for giving his son-in-law a government job. A pastor also gave her a Dior bag and other gifts for favors related to public officials' duties, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.

To support his bid for office, a former prosecutor gave her a painting by renowned artist Lee Ufan, and the former head of the National Education Commission gave her a golden turtle ornament in exchange for being appointed to the position, the court found.

The former first lady is already in jail after being sentenced in April to four years for stock manipulation and taking bribes from South Korea's Unification Church. Her husband Yoon is also in prison, serving a life sentence for sending military drones into North Korea, which prosecutors said was aimed at creating a pretext for his declaration of martial law in December 2024 and leading an insurrection. He was ousted from office in 2025 after being impeached.

Source: www.aljazeera.com