South Korea’s former First Lady Kim Keon Hee has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for bribery.
The ruling came on January 28, 2026, from Judge Woo In-sung at the Seoul Central District Court.
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The 53-year-old wife of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol was found guilty of accepting luxury gifts from officials linked to the controversial Unification Church (often described as cult-like).
The bribes included a Chanel bag and a high-value Graff diamond necklace, plus other items, totaling around 80 million won ($56,000; £40,600) between April and July 2022.
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Prosecutors alleged these were given in exchange for promises of business and political favors, leveraging her influence as first lady.
Presiding Judge Woo In-sung said Kim’s status as First Lady gave her “significant influence,” and that she “abused her position for personal gain.”
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The court described her role as symbolic and influential, stating a person in such a position “must not be a bad example to the public.”
Prosecutors had sought a much harsher 15-year prison term across multiple charges. However, Kim was acquitted on other allegations.
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The other allegations include stock price manipulation and conspiring with her husband to receive free public opinion polls. She was also cleared on receiving a second Chanel bag.
Kim was ordered to pay a fine of about 12.85 million won ($9,000) and had the diamond necklace confiscated/ordered returned.
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She has denied wrongdoing on the core charges but admitted receiving Chanel bags (claiming she returned them unused).
Her lawyers said they would review the ruling and decide on an appeal.
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Via her legal team, Kim stated she would “humbly accept” the court’s view and apologized again for causing concerns and trouble to the public.
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