SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean court sentenced the wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol to seven years behind bars on Friday, finding her guilty of accepting high-end luxury items from business figures and others who were seeking political and business favors in return.
The Seoul Central District Court issued the ruling, which comes on the heels of a separate appeals court decision that sentenced Kim Keon Hee to four years in prison on charges related to accepting gifts from the Unification Church and profiting from a stock price manipulation scheme.
Judge Jo Soon-pyo delivered a pointed rebuke of Kim’s conduct in announcing the verdict. “Given the nature of the position, a president’s spouse must exercise the highest degree of self-restraint and vigilance,” the judge said. “Nevertheless, defendant Kim Keon Hee neglected that social responsibility and repeatedly accepted valuables by exploiting her influence as a means of brokering favors.”
As part of the ruling, the court ordered the seizure of luxury items Kim had received, among them a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond necklace, a Tiffany brooch, a Dior handbag, a storage case for a gold turtle figurine, and a painting by well-known Korean artist Lee Ufan.
Kim, dressed in a gray suit and wearing a white face mask, sat quietly with her head lowered as the verdict was read. While she has acknowledged receiving the gifts, she has maintained they were not connected to any exchange of favors. Her legal team did not immediately indicate whether they plan to appeal Friday’s decision. She has been facing trial in several cases since her arrest last August.
Her husband, former President Yoon, was removed from office in April 2025 following his impeachment, which stemmed from his brief declaration of martial law in December 2024. That move came after a clash with the liberal opposition, which held a majority in the legislature and had repeatedly blocked his policy agenda. Yoon was arrested in July 2025 and is currently standing trial in multiple cases. He has appealed a life sentence for rebellion as well as a separate 30-year prison term connected to charges that he ordered drone flights over North Korea’s capital in an effort to stoke tensions and provide justification for imposing martial law.
Liberal President Lee Jae Myung, who won a special presidential election to succeed Yoon, has authorized numerous investigations into the former president’s martial law declaration and other allegations involving his administration and his wife.
A special prosecutor brought bribery charges against Kim in December. Among the allegations was that in 2022 she received the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and additional jewelry totaling 138 million won — roughly $90,000 — from Seohee Construction Chairman Lee Bong-kwan, in return for helping secure a government position for his son-in-law. The court found Kim guilty on that count and also sentenced Lee Bong-kwan to one year in prison, suspended for two years.
Kim was additionally convicted of accepting a luxury watch from businessman Seo Seong-bin, who was seeking government backing for his robotic dog business; a Dior handbag and other gifts from Pastor Choi Jae-yong, who hoped to participate in a civilian diplomatic delegation and other government-funded programs; a gold turtle and a traditional painting from former National Education Commission chief Lee Bae-yong, who had lobbied for her appointment; and a painting by Lee Ufan valued at 140 million won (approximately $90,900) from former senior prosecutor Kim Sang-min, who was seeking the conservative party’s nomination ahead of the 2024 legislative elections.
The court handed Seo and Lee Bae-yong suspended prison sentences, while Choi was fined 8 million won, equivalent to about $5,200.
