South Korea ex-First Lady Kim Keon Hee jailed for 7 years in bribery scandal

South Korea’s former First Lady, Kim Keon Hee has been sentenced for seven years for bribery case.

kim has been handed a seven-year sentence for taking bribes during and after her husband President Yoon Suk Yeol’s time in office.

She was found guilty of accepting jewellery, an expensive designer handbag and other luxury items in exchange for political favours by the Seoul Central District Court on Friday.

Kim was fined 64.8 million won ($42,000) and the court ordered the confiscation of the items she received.

“She exercised her power as first lady to offer jobs and business favours,” lead judge Cho Sun-pyo said, adding that she received the bribes “without hesitation”.

She denied the charges, saying the gifts weren’t bribes and her lawyers said she will appeal.

The court found that she received jewellery worth over 100 million won ($64,750) from the owner of a construction company in exchange for giving his son-in-law a government job. A pastor also gave her a Dior bag and other gifts for favours relating to public officials’ duties, the Korea JoongAng Daily newspaper reported.

The former first lady is already in jail after being sentenced in April to four years for stock manipulation and taking bribes from South Korea’s Unification Church.

Her husband Yoon is also in prison, serving a life sentence for sending military drones into North Korea, which prosecutors said was aimed at creating a pretext for his declaration of martial law in December 2024, and leading an insurrection.

As president, he vetoed three opposition-backed bills to investigate allegations against Kim, after a video emerged appearing to show her accepting a luxury handbag in 2023.He was ousted from office in 2025 after being impeached.