South Korea’s former First Lady, Kim Keon Hee, has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of accepting luxury gifts and valuables in exchange for political influence during and after the presidency of her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The ruling, delivered on Friday by the Seoul Central District Court, marks another dramatic chapter in a political scandal that has shaken South Korea’s conservative establishment.
Kim was found guilty of receiving expensive jewellery, a luxury Dior handbag, artwork and other high-value gifts from business executives, religious leaders and former government officials in return for favours, appointments and access to government influence.
Delivering the verdict, lead judge Cho Sun-pyo said Kim “exercised her power as first lady to offer jobs and business favours” and accepted the gifts “without hesitation.”
In addition to the seven-year prison sentence, the court imposed a fine of 64.8 million won (approximately $42,000) and ordered the confiscation of all gifts received through the bribery scheme.
Kim has denied wrongdoing, insisting that the gifts were not bribes. Her legal team has announced plans to appeal the conviction.
According to the court, Kim accepted jewellery worth more than 100 million won (about $64,750) from the owner of a construction company in exchange for helping secure a government position for the businessman’s son-in-law.
The court also found that a pastor presented Kim with a Dior handbag and other luxury gifts while seeking favourable treatment involving public officials.
Local newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily reported that the gifts were linked to requests for political influence.
Other gifts included a painting by renowned South Korean artist Lee Ufan from a former prosecutor seeking support for his political ambitions, and a gold turtle ornament from a former chairman of the National Education Commission, who allegedly offered the gift in exchange for his appointment to the government post.
The latest conviction adds to Kim’s growing legal troubles. In April, she was sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of stock price manipulation and accepting bribes connected to South Korea’s Unification Church.
Her legal controversies had already become a major political issue during Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidency. In 2023, hidden-camera footage appeared to show Kim accepting a luxury Dior handbag from a pastor, triggering widespread public criticism and demands for an independent investigation.
Despite mounting pressure, then-President Yoon repeatedly vetoed three opposition-backed bills seeking a special investigation into the allegations against his wife, arguing that the probes were politically motivated.
The scandals surrounding Kim unfolded alongside an even larger political crisis involving her husband.
Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Assembly following his controversial declaration of martial law in December 2024, a move that plunged South Korea into its most serious constitutional crisis in decades.
After his removal from office in 2025, prosecutors charged him with insurrection and other offences.
Yoon is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted of ordering military drones into North Korea in what prosecutors argued was an attempt to create a national security crisis that would justify his declaration of martial law.
The conviction effectively ended his political career and made him one of the few South Korean presidents to face imprisonment after leaving office.
South Korea has a long history of holding former presidents and senior political figures accountable through the courts.
Several former heads of state have been investigated, imprisoned or convicted on corruption and abuse-of-power charges, reflecting the country’s increasingly aggressive prosecution of high-level political misconduct.
Kim’s latest conviction further underscores the sweeping legal fallout from the Yoon administration and signals the continued efforts of South Korean authorities to prosecute corruption at the highest levels of government.
