South Korea’s Former First Lady Sentenced To 20 Months In Prison

South Korea’s former first lady, Kim Keon Hee, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for accepting bribes from the controversial Unification Church, marking a historic moment in the country’s political history.

While the 52-year-old was convicted on the bribery charge, the court cleared her of allegations related to stock price manipulation and accepting free opinion polls from a political broker ahead of the 2022 presidential election, which her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, went on to win.

Yoon, South Korea’s ousted former president, has already been sentenced to five years in jail for abusing power and obstructing justice in connection with his failed martial law attempt in 2024. The rulings make this the first time a former presidential couple in South Korea have been convicted simultaneously.

Delivering the verdict on Wednesday at the Seoul Central District Court, Judge Woo In-sung said Kim had “misused her position as a means of pursuing personal gain.”

“The higher [one’s] position, the more consciously one must guard against such conduct… The defendant failed to reject solicitations and was preoccupied with self-adornment,” the judge added.

Responding to the ruling, Kim said in a statement: “I humbly accept the court’s sterm admonition and will not take its weight lightly.”
She continued: “Once again, I sincerely apologise to everyone for the concern I have caused.” Kim had previously denied all charges.

According to a special counsel team assigned to the case, Kim received gifts worth 80 million won ($56,000; £40,600) from the Unification Church between April and July 2022. The items included a Graff diamond necklace and several Chanel handbags, allegedly given in exchange for political and business favours.

Prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison sentence and a fine of two billion won across three charges considered on Wednesday, though Kim was convicted on only one. 

The judge noted in mitigation that she did not directly solicit the bribes and had “no significant criminal record.”

Kim was ordered to repay 12.85 million won in cash, and the court also ruled that the diamond necklace be confiscated.

She still faces additional charges over claims she helped recruit Unification Church followers into the conservative People Power Party, of which her husband was a member, and that she accepted gifts in exchange for government job appointments. These cases are yet to be heard.

Although Kim has consistently described the accusations as “deeply unjust,” she admitted to receiving the Chanel handbags, saying she later returned them unused.

During questioning last August, she issued a public apology, stating: “I am truly sorry that a nobody like me has caused concern to the people.”

Investigations into her relationship with the Unification Church also led to the arrest of the church’s leader, Han Hak-ja.

Beyond the criminal cases, Kim has faced other controversies. Last year, Sookmyung Women’s University revoked the art education degree she earned in 1999 after an ethics panel found she had plagiarised her master’s thesis.