SEOUL — Former South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced to seven years in prison Friday after being convicted of accepting expensive gifts in exchange for favors in government appointments.
The latest sentence comes as Kim is already serving a four-year prison term following her conviction for stock manipulation and bribery.
The court found Kim guilty of accepting luxury items, including jewelry and other valuables, in return for using her influence to help secure personnel appointments.
In its ruling, the court said Kim “unhesitatingly accepted valuables of a kind that the average citizen would struggle to acquire even once in a lifetime.”
Kim, 53, was indicted in December on charges that included accepting jewelry worth about 103 million won ($67,000).
Among the items presented in court were a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, a Tiffany brooch and a pair of Graff earrings allegedly given by a construction executive in 2022. Prosecutors said Kim offered to help secure a government position for the executive’s son-in-law in exchange.
She was also convicted of accepting a gold turtle figurine worth 2.65 million won from a politician and a Vacheron Constantin wristwatch valued at 39 million won from a robotics entrepreneur.
Prosecutors had sought a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence, accusing Kim of “trading in offices and favors” by exploiting her position as the wife of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Kim denied wrongdoing, arguing that although she received the gifts, they were not linked to any requests for official favors.
Her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, is also in custody over his failed attempt to impose martial law in 2024.