A Seoul court is scheduled to announce its decision this week regarding South Korea’s ex-first lady, Kim Keon Hee. She faces charges of accepting valuable gifts in exchange for job placements and other favors. The sentencing hearing for Kim, the wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, will take place at 2 pm on Friday at the Seoul Central District Court.
Kim was accused in December of receiving jewelry worth over 100 million won, including a Van Cleef and Arpels necklace, from a construction company chairman. She allegedly accepted a golden turtle ornament from a former education commission head in return for a government position. Furthermore, Kim is believed to have received a Dior bag from a pastor and a Vacheron Constantin watch from an entrepreneur in 2022, along with a painting by artist Lee Ufan from a former prosecutor in February 2023.
During a recent trial hearing, the special counsel’s team requested a seven and a half year prison sentence for Kim, emphasizing her misuse of her presidential spouse status for personal gain. Kim, however, has pleaded not guilty, claiming that while she received gifts, they were not tied to any specific demands. In a separate corruption trial in April, Kim was sentenced to four years in prison by an appeals court for her involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme and for accepting luxury gifts from the Unification Church.
