South Korean Appeals Court Reduces Sentence for Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee
An appeals court in Seoul reduced Kim Keon Hee's prison sentence from seven to five years, overturning some corruption charges.
A South Korean appeals court on Tuesday reduced the prison sentence of Kim Keon Hee, wife of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, from seven to five years. The Seoul High Court overturned some of the corruption charges against Kim, including one related to a luxury watch allegedly accepted from a businessman seeking government support for his robotics company. The court found that prosecutors had not sufficiently proven that the watch was provided in exchange for business favors.
However, the court upheld most of Kim's other convictions. These include receiving a necklace and other jewelry valued at over 100 million won (approximately $73,500) in 2022 from Seohee Construction Chairman Lee Bong-kwan in exchange for securing a government post for Lee’s son-in-law. Kim was also convicted of accepting a Dior handbag and other gifts from Pastor Choi Jae-yong, who sought to join a civilian diplomatic delegation and other government-funded programs. Additionally, she was found guilty of receiving a gold turtle from former National Education Commission chief Lee Bae-yong, who had lobbied for that job, and a 140 million won ($102,900) painting by artist Lee Ufan from former senior prosecutor Kim Sang-min, who sought a nomination by Yoon’s conservative party for the 2024 legislative elections.
Kim’s legal team stated their intention to appeal to the Supreme Court, arguing that prosecutors had not proven her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecution also indicated plans to appeal the reduction of the sentence, with a member of the investigation team expressing difficulty in accepting that the acceptance of a valuable watch by a first lady did not constitute a crime.
This ruling follows a separate case in April, where a court sentenced Kim Keon Hee to four years for charges involving the acceptance of gifts from the Unification Church and profiting from a stock price manipulation scheme. She has also appealed that sentence.
Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office in April 2025, months after his impeachment over the imposition of martial law in December 2024. He is currently on trial in multiple cases, including an appeal against a life sentence for rebellion.