A Seoul court on Friday sentenced former First Lady Kim Keon Hee to seven years in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for job appointments and favors.
The Seoul Central District Court found Kim guilty on all counts after she was indicted in December on charges of accepting approximately 300 million won worth of gifts. These included a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace from a construction company chairman in exchange for a government job for his son-in-law, a golden turtle ornament, a Dior bag, and a Vacheron Constantin watch.
Presiding judge Cho Sun-pyo said during the televised hearing that Kim disregarded the social responsibilities of her position and tried to conceal her actions. Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team, which had sought a seven-and-a-half-year term, welcomed the ruling.
Kim's lawyers said they would appeal. She has already received a four-year prison sentence in a separate corruption case from an appeals court and faces another trial over alleged involvement with the Unification Church ahead of the 2022 election.
