South Korean court convicts of wife of ousted President Yoon on further corruption charges

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An appeals court has raised to four years the sentence for the wife of South Korea’s ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol for corruption, about two months after her husband was sentenced to life in prison for rebellion.

In January, ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced to 20 months in prison in a district court for receiving gifts including a Graff diamond necklace and a Chanel bag from the Unification Church in return for promises of political favors. However, she was acquitted of involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme before she became first lady.

Both parties appealed, and on Tuesday, the Seoul High Court raised her jail term to four years by convicting her of receiving another Chanel bag from the church and the price rigging charge.

The presidential couple suffered a dramatic fall from grace after Yoon’s martial law imposition in December 2024 led to his impeachment and eventually removal from office. Yoon faces a slew of criminal trials related to his martial law debacle and other scandals. Investigators say Kim was not involved in Yoon’s martial law enforcement.

The Seoul High Court said that a first lady, being closest to a president, represents the country together with her husband and has a big influence on him. It said Kim failed to meet public expectations for her integrity and rather exploited her high-profile status to get the gifts from the Unification Church.

Both Kim and an independent counsel have one week to appeal to the Supreme Court, the country’s top court. Independent counsel Min Joong-ki’s team earlier requested a 15-year term; Kim's defense team has argued Min’s investigation was politically driven.

Kim has been in jail since last August when the Seoul district court approved a warrant to arrest her, citing the chance she might destroy evidence. When Yoon was in office, Kim was embroiled in a series of scandals that hurt her husband’s approval rating and provided relentless political ammunition to his rivals.

On Dec. 3, 2024, Yoon, a conservative, abruptly declared martial law and sent troops and police officers to the National Assembly, saying he aimed to eliminate “anti-state forces” and “shameless North Korea sympathizers.” He has defended his action, calling it a desperate attempt to draw public support for his fight against the liberal opposition Democratic Party which obstructed his agenda.

In February, the Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of rebellion for mobilizing military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize the Assembly, arrest political opponents and establish unchecked power for an indefinite period.