Appeals court reduces sentence for South Korea's former First Lady Kim Keon Hee
An appellate court on Tuesday reduced former first lady Kim Keon Hee's sentence to five years in prison during her bribery trial on charges of taking expensive gifts in return for job appointments, Yonhap reported.
The Seoul High Court partially overturned a lower court's seven-year sentence for Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, acquitting her of some of the charges brought by special counsel Min Joong-ki.
Min's team earlier indicted Kim on charges of receiving jewelry worth a total of over 100 million won (US$72,800) from a construction company chairman between March and May 2022 in exchange for a government job for his son-in-law.
She was also charged with receiving a golden turtle ornament and a replica of a Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) painting from Lee Bae-yong, former head of the National Education Commission, in April 2022, in return for her appointment; a Dior bag from a pastor the same year; and a Vacheron Constantin watch from another businessperson in September 2022.
She was additionally accused of receiving a painting by renowned artist Lee Ufan from a former prosecutor in February 2023 in exchange for her help in securing him a nomination for an election.
While the lower court convicted her on all counts, the appellate court acquitted her of charges of receiving the luxury watch and the replica painting.
The appeals court found her guilty for the rest of the charges, ordering the confiscation of the gifts and forfeiture of 24.4 million won. The lower court had ordered Kim to forfeit 64.8 million won.
"The defendant repeatedly accepted valuables without hesitation, losing sight of her status as the spouse of the president," the court said.
In late June, South Korea's ex-first lady was sentenced to 7 years in prison for taking gifts for job appointments.