South Korea’s Former First Lady Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison Over Unification Church Bribery

In a historic verdict, South Korea’s former first lady, Kim Keon-hee, 52, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for accepting bribes from the controversial Unification Church.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled Wednesday that Kim “misused her position as a means of pursuing personal gain” by accepting luxury gifts in exchange for political and business favors.

Judge Woo In-sung emphasized, “The higher one’s position, the more consciously one must guard against such conduct… The defendant failed to reject solicitations and was preoccupied with self-adornment.”

Kim was cleared of charges relating to stock price manipulation and receiving free opinion polls from a political broker ahead of the 2022 presidential election, which her husband, former President Yoon Suk-yeol, won. Yoon himself is serving a five-year sentence for abuse of power and obstruction of justice over a failed martial law bid in 2024.

The ruling marks the first time in South Korean history that a former presidential couple has been convicted simultaneously.

Prosecutors had alleged that Kim received gifts valued at approximately 80 million won from the Unification Church between April and July 2022, including a Graff diamond necklace and multiple Chanel handbags.

While prosecutors sought a 15-year prison sentence and a 2 billion won fine across three charges, the court noted that Kim did not solicit the gifts and had “no significant criminal record.”

The court also ordered her to repay 12.85 million won in cash and authorized the confiscation of the diamond necklace.

Kim still faces separate charges, including allegations that she helped recruit Unification Church followers into the conservative People Power Party and accepted gifts in exchange for government appointments. She has denied all charges, calling them “deeply unjust,” though she admitted to receiving Chanel handbags, which she said were later returned unused.

During questioning last August, Kim issued a public apology, stating, “I am truly sorry that a nobody like me has caused concern to the people.” Investigations also led to the arrest of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja.

Beyond the bribery case, Kim has faced other controversies, including the annulment of her 1999 art education degree by Sookmyung Women’s University, after an ethics panel found she had plagiarized her master’s thesis.