Court clears ex-prosecutor of painting bribery

A South Korean court on Thursday sentenced former prosecutor Kim Sang-min to a suspended prison term for violating campaign finance laws, while acquitting him of allegations that he delivered a valuable painting to Kim Keon-hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, in exchange for assistance in securing a parliamentary nomination.

Kim had been charged with providing a painting by renowned artist Lee Ufan, valued at about 140 million won, to the former first lady’s side while serving as a prosecutor, allegedly as part of a lobbying effort tied to a National Assembly bid. The court found him not guilty of violating the anti-graft law in connection with the artwork, ruling that prosecutors failed to substantiate that charge. It instead convicted Kim solely on the campaign finance violation, which stemmed from his acceptance of a businessman’s payment covering vehicle leasing costs as he prepared to run in a general election.

The Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 21, presided over by Judge Lee Hyeon-bok, sentenced Kim to six months in prison, suspended for one year, and ordered him to forfeit 41.39 million won. In its ruling, the court said there was insufficient direct or circumstantial evidence to establish that Kim personally delivered the painting to the former first lady. Earlier, the special counsel probing allegations involving Kim, led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, had sought a three-year prison term for the alleged anti-graft law violation, along with an additional three years in prison and forfeiture of about 41 million won for the campaign finance offense.

The court rejected testimony from art broker Kang, who said he had heard Kim claim that former First Lady Kim Keon-hee received the painting and was pleased with it. The court ruled that the statement conflicted with objective circumstances or had been altered over time, and therefore lacked credibility. Investigators later found the painting during a search of the home of the mother-in-law of Kim Keon-hee’s brother, Kim Jin-woo. The court said it could not rule out the possibility that Kim Jin-woo was the actual purchaser of the artwork. By contrast, the court found Kim guilty of accepting about 42 million won from a businessman to cover leasing fees for a campaign vehicle.

In a separate ruling issued the same day, the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 26, presided over by Judge Lee Hyeon-gyeong, acquitted Kim Ye-seong of embezzlement charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes in connection with the so-called butler gate scandal and dismissed part of the indictment. The court found Kim not guilty of embezzling 2.4 billion won and said allegations that he diverted about 900 million won from borrowed-name companies for personal use fell outside the scope of the special counsel’s investigation. It cited the absence of confirmed links to the former first lady or other relevant figures.

Previously, the special counsel charged Kim Keon-hee with involvement in stock price manipulation related to Deutsche Motors and with receiving free opinion polling services from political broker Myung Tae-kyun. A trial court acquitted her of those charges and found her guilty only of accepting a Chanel handbag and a Graff necklace from the Unification Church. A former prosecutor turned lawyer said the series of rulings fueled criticism that the special counsel had taken an overly aggressive approach to the indictments.


여근호 기자 yeoroot@donga.com