South Korean ex-first lady gets seven years for bribery

South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison after a Seoul court found her guilty of accepting luxury gifts from businesspeople and others seeking government posts, political nominations and business favors.

The Seoul Central District Court convicted Kim of taking jewelry, a designer handbag, a luxury watch, artwork and other valuables during and after the presidency of her husband, ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The court also ordered the confiscation of gifts she had received, including a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond necklace, a Tiffany brooch, a Dior handbag, a storage case for a gold turtle figurine and a painting by well-known Korean artist Lee Ufan. Al Jazeera reported that the court also fined her 64.8 million won, or about $42,000.

“Given the nature of the position, a president’s spouse must exercise the highest degree of self-restraint and vigilance,” Judge Jo Soon-pyo said, according to NPR. “Nevertheless, defendant Kim Keon Hee neglected that social responsibility and repeatedly accepted valuables by exploiting her influence as a means of brokering favors.”

Al Jazeera quoted the lead judge, using the spelling Cho Sun-pyo, as saying Kim “exercised her power as first lady to offer jobs and business favours” and received bribes “without hesitation.”

Kim, wearing a gray suit and a white face mask, listened quietly to the verdict with her head bowed. She has admitted receiving gifts but denied they were tied to favors. Her legal team criticized the ruling as based on a “loose interpretation” of insufficient evidence and said it would appeal.

A special prosecutor indicted Kim in December on bribery charges. The court found that in 2022 she received a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and other jewelry worth a combined 138 million won, or about $90,000, from Seohee Construction Chairman Lee Bong-kwan in exchange for helping secure a government post for Lee’s son-in-law. Lee received a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years.

The court also convicted Kim of accepting a luxury watch from businessman Seo Seong-bin, who sought government support for his robotic dogs business; a Dior handbag and other gifts from Pastor Choi Jae-yong, who wanted to join a civilian diplomatic delegation and other government-funded programs; a gold turtle and a traditional painting from former National Education Commission chief Lee Bae-yong, who lobbied for her appointment; and a Lee Ufan painting worth 140 million won, or about $90,900, from former senior prosecutor Kim Sang-min, who sought the conservative party’s nomination for the 2024 legislative elections.

Seo and Lee Bae-yong received suspended prison sentences, and Choi was fined 8 million won, or about $5,200.

Friday’s ruling adds to Kim’s legal troubles. Months earlier, an appeals court sentenced her to four years in prison in a separate case involving allegations that she accepted gifts from the Unification Church and profited from a stock price manipulation scheme.

Yoon was removed from office in April 2025, months after he was impeached over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024 following a standoff with the liberal opposition, which held a legislative majority and blocked much of his agenda. He was arrested in July 2025 and is facing multiple cases. NPR reported that he has appealed a life sentence for rebellion and a separate 30-year prison term over charges that he ordered drone flights over North Korea’s capital to inflame tensions and justify martial law at home. Al Jazeera reported that Yoon is in prison serving a life sentence for sending military drones into North Korea and leading an insurrection.

Liberal President Lee Jae Myung, who won an early election last year to replace Yoon, has authorized multiple investigations into Yoon’s martial law declaration and other allegations involving his government and wife.