An appellate court on Tuesday increased the prison term for former first lady Kim Keon Hee to four years, more than doubling her prior punishment after she appealed a lower court ruling.
Kim, the wife of jailed former president Yoon Suk Yeol, had sought to overturn earlier convictions. The appeals panel reversed a February acquittal on a charge that she conspired with multiple traders to manipulate the price of a thinly traded stock, Deutsch Motors. The court also found she accepted two Chanel handbags and a Graff necklace from the Unification Church, valued at about 80 million won (roughly 55,000 US dollars), and knew the group expected political favors in return.
Prosecutors had also appealed aspects of the earlier ruling. The appellate court imposed a 50 million won fine and ordered confiscation of the necklace, while noting Kim had no prior criminal record. The presiding judge said Kim had used her position as first lady to influence others and that her actions undermined public trust and deepened divisions over national affairs.
The court additionally found Kim guilty of improperly backing a candidate in a 2022 by-election, though it cleared her of other alleged election-law violations. Her lawyers said they will seek a Supreme Court review.
A small group of supporters gathered outside the Seoul courthouse, displaying a large photograph of Yoon and Kim and waving scarves and banners with nationalist slogans.
Kim has been at the center of several controversies during Yoon’s presidency, including a public push to ban the dog meat trade and the emergence in 2023 of hidden-camera footage showing her accepting a luxury Dior handbag. Those scandals contributed to a poor showing for Yoon’s party in the April 2024 general election, denying it a majority. An opposition majority subsequently advanced bills to investigate allegations involving Kim; Yoon vetoed each, including a final veto in November 2024 just days before his declaration of martial law, an action that preceded his impeachment, suspension and eventual removal from office.
Yoon has since faced multiple criminal cases. He received a life sentence in February in one of those trials, and has vowed to appeal, saying he acted in the national interest and accusing political rivals of collusion with North Korea.