Seoul, September 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A South Korean appellate court on Tuesday reduced former first lady Kim Keon Hee’s prison sentence from seven years to five years in a bribery case involving allegations that she accepted expensive gifts in exchange for government appointments and other favours.
The Seoul High Court partially overturned the lower court’s June verdict, acquitting Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, on some of the charges brought by special counsel Min Joong-ki.
Kim’s legal team described the partial acquittal as “meaningful” but indicated that it would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. The special counsel team said it would review the appellate court’s decision before deciding on further legal action.
The special counsel had accused Kim of receiving jewellery worth more than 100 million won (about $72,800) from a construction company chairman between March and May 2022 in exchange for a government position for his son-in-law.
She was also charged with receiving a golden turtle ornament and a replica of a Joseon Dynasty painting from Lee Bae-yong, former head of the National Education Commission, in April 2022, allegedly in return for her appointment. Other charges involved a Dior bag from a pastor, a Vacheron Constantin watch from another businessperson in September 2022, and a painting by renowned artist Lee Ufan from a former prosecutor in February 2023.
The lower court had convicted Kim on all counts in June. The appellate court, however, acquitted her of the charges involving the luxury watch and the replica painting while upholding convictions on the remaining charges.
The appeals court ordered the confiscation of the Lee Ufan painting and other gifts and directed Kim to forfeit 24.4 million won, compared with 64.8 million won ordered by the lower court.
The court said Kim’s actions had reduced the influence of the president’s spouse to private transactions and damaged transparency and fairness in state affairs, as well as public trust in government policies and personnel appointments. It also criticised her for repeatedly accepting valuables despite being aware that the gift-givers expected her to exercise influence as the president’s spouse.
Kim has maintained her innocence, arguing that although she received the gifts, they were not tied to specific requests.
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