In a fall from grace that marks a new low for the country’s political elite, South Korea’s former First Lady Kim Keon-hee has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for accepting luxury bribes from a controversial church, becoming half of the nation’s first convicted presidential couple.
The 52-year-old wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk-yeol was found guilty by the Seoul Central District Court of accepting nearly 80 million won ($56,000) in gifts from the Unification Church between April and July 2022. The lavish haul included a Graff diamond necklace and several Chanel handbags, given in exchange for promised business and political favors.
While a special counsel had sought a 15-year prison term, Judge Woo In-sung handed down a shorter sentence, noting Kim did not solicit the bribes and had no significant prior record. Nevertheless, the judge delivered a scathing rebuke, stating Kim had “misused her position as a means of pursuing personal gain” and was “preoccupied with self-adornment.” The court ordered her to repay 12.85 million won and confiscated the diamond necklace.
A Presidential Couple Behind Bars
The conviction places Kim and her husband, Yoon Suk-yeol, in ignominious history. Yoon is already serving a five-year sentence for abusing power and obstructing justice related to a failed 2024 martial law bid. Their simultaneous convictions are unprecedented in South Korea.
In a statement after the verdict, Kim struck a contrite tone, saying, “I humbly accept the court’s stern admonition and will not take its weight lightly. Once again, I sincerely apologise to everyone for the concern I have caused.” This marked a stark reversal from her initial stance, where she denied all charges and called them “deeply unjust,” though she admitted to receiving—and later returning—the Chanel bags.
A Web of Scandals and a Church Leader’s Arrest
The bribery case is just one thread in a complex web of allegations surrounding the former first lady. She still faces separate charges for allegedly recruiting Unification Church followers into her husband’s conservative People Power Party and accepting gifts in exchange for government job appointments.
The investigations have had far-reaching consequences, leading to the arrest of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja. Beyond the criminal sphere, Kim’s reputation has been further tarnished by academic scandal; last year, Sookmyung Women’s University annulled her 1999 art education degree after an ethics panel found she plagiarized her master’s thesis.
The conviction of a former first lady for trading political influence for luxury handbags and diamonds underscores a deep-seated struggle with corruption at the highest levels of South Korean society, proving that even the most adorned positions offer no protection from the law.
