Former First Lady of South Korea Sentenced to 20 Months for Bribery from Unification Church

Kim Keon Hee, formerly the first lady of South Korea, has been handed a 20-month prison term after being found guilty of accepting bribes from the contentious Unification Church.

The Seoul Central District Court made its decision on Wednesday, establishing that Kim, aged 52, had exploited her official position for personal gain by receiving gifts in exchange for various business and political favors.

Judge Woo In-sung noted, "The higher [one’s] position, the more one must vigilantly avoid such conduct... The defendant neglected to dismiss solicitations and was overly focused on self-adornment."

Kim was acquitted of accusations regarding stock price manipulation and receiving unsolicited opinion polls from a political intermediary prior to the 2022 presidential election, which her spouse, Yoon Suk Yeol, won.

Yoon, who is the former president of South Korea, has also been sentenced to five years in prison for misusing his power and obstructing justice related to a failed attempt at martial law in 2024.

This verdict is unprecedented in South Korea, marking the first instance where a former presidential couple has been convicted simultaneously.

According to a special counsel investigation, Kim received gifts valued at approximately 80 million won from the Unification Church between April and July 2022. These gifts included a Graff diamond necklace and multiple Chanel handbags.

Prosecutors had sought a 15-year imprisonment along with a fine of 2 billion won across three charges. However, the court highlighted that Kim did not solicit or demand the bribes and had a relatively clean criminal record.

The judge ordered Kim to reimburse 12.85 million won in cash and authorized the confiscation of the diamond necklace involved in the case.

Kim is still facing additional charges alleging that she assisted in recruiting Unification Church followers for the conservative People Power Party and accepted gifts in exchange for appointments to government positions. These allegations are pending judicial hearings.

She has consistently denied all accusations, labeling them as “deeply unjust,” while admitting to receiving Chanel handbags, which she claimed were later returned without use.

During her interrogation in August, Kim publicly expressed her regret, stating, “I am truly sorry that a nobody like me has caused concern to the people.”

The ongoing investigations have also resulted in the arrest of Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church.

In addition to the legal issues, Kim has encountered multiple scandals; last year, Sookmyung Women’s University revoked her art education degree obtained in 1999 after it was revealed by an ethics committee that she had plagiarized her master’s thesis.