South Korea’s Ex-First Lady Sentenced to 20 Months for Bribery

South Korea’s ex-first lady Kim Keon-hee sentenced to 20 months for bribery involving luxury gifts from the Unification Church, sparking historic political shock.

sarah

Jan 29, 2026 - 06:50

South Korea’s Ex-First Lady Sentenced to 20 Months for Bribery

The wife of South Korea's impeached former president has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for accepting bribes from the controversial Unification Church.

However, the court acquitted 52-year-old Kim Keon-hee of charges of stock price manipulation and receiving free opinion polls from a political broker ahead of the 2022 presidential election, which her husband, Yoon Suk-yeol, won.

Yoon has already been sentenced to five years in prison for abuse of power and obstruction of justice in connection with a failed attempt to impose martial law in 2024.

This marks the first time in South Korean history that a former presidential couple has been convicted at the same time.

On Wednesday, Seoul Central District Court Judge Woo In-sung ruled that Kim had "abused her position for personal gain."

Read Also

Trade Shock: Trump Raises South Korea Tariffs to 25%

The judge said, "The higher the position, the more carefully one should refrain from such conduct... The defendant did not reject the temptations and was preoccupied with self-aggrandizement."

In a statement after the ruling, Kim said: "I humbly accept the court's stern warning and will not take it lightly."

She added, "Once again, I sincerely apologize to everyone for the concern I have caused." Kim had previously denied all the charges.

A special counsel team appointed to the case said Kim received gifts worth 80 million won ($56,000; £40,600) from the Unification Church between April and July 2022, including a Graff diamond necklace and several Chanel handbags, given in exchange for business and political favors.

The team had sought a 15-year prison sentence and a 2 billion won fine for the three charges heard on Wednesday – of which Kim was convicted on one – but the judge said Kim had not solicited the bribes, and that she had "no significant criminal record." However, she was ordered to return 12.85 million won in cash, and the court also ordered the seizure of a diamond necklace.

Software Services

Create, launch, and scale your gaming platform — get instant access

Kim is also accused of alleged involvement in a scheme to recruit followers of the Unification Church into the conservative People Power Party and of accepting gifts in exchange for government job appointments. The court has not yet heard those cases. The former first lady denied all the allegations, calling them "grossly inaccurate," although she did acknowledge receiving Chanel bags, which she later returned unused.

She publicly apologized when she appeared for questioning last August. "I am truly sorry that people have been troubled because of an ordinary person like me," she said.

The investigation into Kim's dealings with the Unification Church also led to the arrest of church leader Han Hak-ja.

In addition to the criminal charges, Kim has been involved in other controversies. Last year, Sookmyung Women's University revoked her art education degree, which she received in 1999, after an ethics panel found that she had plagiarized in her master's thesis.

Thank you for reading this content.