Prosper Okoye
South Korea’s former first lady, Kim Keon Hee, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for accepting bribes linked to the controversial Unification Church.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled on Wednesday that Ms Kim, 52, had abused her position by accepting gifts in exchange for business and political favours.
Delivering the verdict, Judge Woo In-sung said senior public figures had a heightened duty to avoid such conduct.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“The higher one’s position, the more consciously one must guard against this behaviour,” he said, adding that the defendant had failed to reject improper solicitations.
Ms Kim was cleared of separate allegations relating to stock price manipulation and receiving free opinion polls ahead of the 2022 presidential election, which her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, went on to win.
Mr Yoon, South Korea’s former president, was himself sentenced last year to five years in prison for abusing power and obstructing justice over a failed attempt to impose martial law in 2024.
The ruling marks the first time in South Korea’s history that a former presidential couple have been convicted at the same time.
Prosecutors said Ms Kim had received gifts worth about 80m won (£47,000; $60,000) from the Unification Church between April and July 2022. Items included a diamond necklace from luxury jeweller Graff and several Chanel handbags.
The court ordered Ms Kim to repay 12.85m won in cash and approved the confiscation of the diamond necklace.
Prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison sentence and a fine of 2bn won, but the court cited the fact that Ms Kim had not actively solicited the bribes and had no significant previous criminal record.
Ms Kim still faces separate charges over allegations that she helped recruit members of the Unification Church into the ruling People Power Party and accepted gifts in return for government job appointments. Those cases are yet to be heard.
She has denied all wrongdoing, describing the charges as “deeply unjust”, though she acknowledged receiving Chanel handbags, which she said were later returned unused.
During questioning last August, Ms Kim issued a public apology, saying she regretted causing public concern.
Investigations linked to the case have also led to the arrest of the leader of the Unification Church, Han Hak-ja.
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Separately, Ms Kim has been embroiled in academic controversy. Last year, Sookmyung Women’s University revoked her 1999 master’s degree after an ethics panel found evidence of plagiarism in her thesis.
Prosper Okoye is a Correspondent and Research Writer at Prime Business Africa, a Nigerian journalist with experience in development reporting, public affairs, and policy-focused storytelling across Africa
