South Korea’s former first lady sentenced to almost 2 years in Prison in bribery case

Kim Keon Hee, the wife of disgraced former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, was sentenced on Wednesday to one year and eight months in prison after being found guilty of bribery. The ruling marks just one of three criminal cases she is currently facing, and both prosecutors and Kim’s legal team retain the right to appeal.

The court convicted Kim of accepting luxury gifts from the Unification Church, including a Chanel handbag and a Graff diamond necklace. She was acquitted of stock manipulation charges and of conspiring with her husband to obtain free opinion polls, with judges citing insufficient evidence and expired statutes of limitation. She was also cleared of receiving a second Chanel bag.

Prosecutors had valued the combined alleged benefits, including stocks, gifts and polling services, at about 1.15 billion won, roughly $813,000.

Seoul District Court Judge Woo In-seong said Kim had misused her status for personal gain, noting she failed to refuse expensive luxury items and appeared eager to possess and display them. At the same time, the judge acknowledged that Kim did not solicit the gifts, did not relay requests from the church to her husband, and was now reflecting on her conduct.

The verdict deepens the legal crisis surrounding South Korea’s former first couple. Yoon Suk Yeol is already in custody and on trial for insurrection following his short-lived declaration of martial law in 2024, along with several other charges.

Kim was arrested last August by a special counsel, with prosecutors initially seeking a 15-year sentence across multiple alleged offences. The head of the investigation said she had used her position as first lady to receive money and luxury goods and to influence appointments. The leader of the Unification Church is also standing trial in connection with the bribery case.

Before entering public life, Kim worked in the art world and ran her own exhibition agency. She married Yoon in 2012, years before he entered politics. As first lady, she maintained an unusually prominent public profile, often attracting attention for her fashion choices.

Controversy followed her even before Yoon became president. In 2021, Kim apologised for exaggerating her résumé. She later lost both her master’s and doctoral degrees after universities ruled she had committed academic misconduct. Long-running allegations also accused her of manipulating stocks linked to a BMW dealership between 2010 and 2012.

Public anger peaked over a separate incident involving a $2,200 Christian Dior handbag, captured in a covert video released in 2023. Although unrelated to the Chanel items cited in court, the footage triggered widespread backlash and sent Yoon’s approval ratings to record lows.

South Korea’s anti-corruption laws bar public officials and their spouses from accepting gifts worth more than $750 tied to official duties. The scandal, followed by Yoon’s martial law declaration and impeachment, led to sweeping investigations across his administration. Earlier this month, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for obstructing detention efforts and blocking cabinet debate over the decree, with further trials still pending.

While several former South Korean presidents have been imprisoned, this is the first time both members of a former presidential couple have been jailed at the same time.