A special counsel has appealed a court ruling in the corruption case of South Korea’s former first lady, Kim Keon Hee, challenging the leniency of the sentence. Kim, the wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, was recently sentenced to 20 months in prison for accepting luxury gifts from the Unification Church in exchange for business favors. However, the court acquitted her of involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme and violating the Political Funds Act, ordering her to forfeit 12.8 million won (USD 9,000).
The special counsel’s team, led by Min Joong-ki, had initially sought a 15-year prison term for Kim and significant fines. They criticized the court’s not-guilty rulings, citing misinterpretations of the law and factual misapprehensions. The team argued that the guilty verdicts warranted a more severe sentence, emphasizing the seriousness of the charges against Kim.
The court found Kim guilty of receiving luxury items from a Unification Church official in exchange for business favors but could not establish her direct involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme. While acknowledging that Kim and her husband received free opinion polls, the court did not view them as providing economic benefits to the couple. The appeal follows concerns over the perceived leniency of the sentence and the court’s interpretation of the charges against the former first lady.
