Former first lady sentenced to seven years

A South Korean court on Friday sentenced former First Lady Kim Keon Hee to seven years in prison for accepting cash and luxury gifts in exchange for using her influence to secure political appointments and business favors. The ruling came 182 days after a special counsel led by Min Joong-ki indicted her in December.

The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 21 convicted Kim of influence peddling under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The court said she had exploited her position as the president's spouse to turn personnel appointments and business requests into transactions for personal benefit. It also ordered the confiscation of luxury items she received, including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, a Tiffany & Co. brooch and a Dior pouch, and ordered her to forfeit 64.8 million won.

Prosecutors said Kim accepted gifts worth a combined 291.65 million won on 11 occasions between March 2022 and February 2023 from five people, including Lee Bong-kwan, chairman of Seohui Construction. The gifts, which included the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, were allegedly provided in return for political and business favors.

The court found Kim guilty on all counts. It said she had accepted luxury items of extraordinary value with little hesitation, despite their obvious connection to official requests. The judges said the case had compromised the integrity of public decision-making by allowing private interests to influence matters that should have been handled impartially. They added that the conduct had severely damaged public confidence in the fairness of public office and fueled prolonged social controversy. The court also cited Kim's failure to demonstrate genuine remorse as a factor in determining the sentence.


송혜미 1am@donga.com