South Korea’s Former First Lady Jailed for Bribery

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, a Seoul court ruled on Wednesday.

Kim, 52, the wife of ousted former president Yoon Suk Yeol, was also ordered to return a diamond necklace and repay 12.85m won (£7,600). However, the court cleared her of charges related to stock price manipulation and receiving free opinion polls ahead of the 2022 presidential election, which her husband won.

Yoon has already been sentenced to five years in prison for abusing power and obstructing justice over his failed attempt to impose martial law in 2024. The rulings mark the first time in South Korean history that a former presidential couple have been convicted simultaneously.

Delivering the verdict 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 judge said, adding that Kim had failed to reject solicitations and had been “preoccupied with self-adornment”.

Following the ruling, Kim said she accepted the court’s decision. “I humbly accept the court’s stern admonition and will not take its weight lightly,” she said, apologising again for the public concern caused by the case.

A special counsel team said Kim received gifts worth 80m won ($56,000), including a Graff diamond necklace and several Chanel handbags, between April and July 2022 in exchange for business and political favours. Prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison sentence and a 2bn won fine, but the court cited her lack of prior criminal record and the fact that she did not directly solicit the bribes.

Kim continues to face additional charges, including allegations that she helped recruit Unification Church members into the ruling People Power Party and accepted gifts in return for government job appointments. Those cases have yet to be heard.

The former first lady has denied wrongdoing, describing the accusations as “deeply unjust”, though she admitted receiving Chanel bags, which she said were later returned unused. She issued a public apology during questioning last August.

Separate investigations into the case have also led to the arrest of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja.

Beyond the criminal allegations, Kim has faced other controversies. Last year, Sookmyung Women’s University annulled her 1999 art education degree after an ethics panel ruled that her master’s thesis had been plagiarised.