South Korea’s former first lady Kim Kon-hi has been sentenced to seven years in prison for accepting lavish gifts in exchange for jobs and business favors.
A court in Seoul sentenced former South Korean first lady Kim Kon-hi to seven years in prison on Friday for accepting expensive gifts in exchange for securing jobs and business favors. TASR informs about it according to a report by the Jonhap agency.
The special prosecutor’s team sought a 7.5-year prison sentence, alleging that the former first lady repeatedly used her position to conduct personal business transactions. Her husband, former president Jun Sok-yol, was sentenced to life in prison in February this year for declaring martial law in the country in December 2024.
Tightening of penalties
Kim Kon-hi (53) is already serving her sentence, which was increased in April by the South Korean Court of Appeal from the original 20 months to four years in prison for corruption and stock manipulation. A court in Seoul found her guilty of manipulating stock prices and accepting lavish gifts from the Unification Church religious movement.
Prosecutors in December 2025, after a 180-day investigation, charged the former first lady of South Korea with accepting bribes totaling 370 million won (approximately 217,000 euros), including works of art or jewelry, and with interfering in state affairs. In addition, she was accused of interfering in the parliamentary elections.
The prosecution asked for a severe sentence
The special prosecutor’s team asked for 15 years behind bars and a fine of two billion won (almost 1.2 million euros) for Kim Kon-hi. Prosecutors alleged that Kim was “above the law” and colluded with the Unification Church to undermine the “constitutional separation of church and state.”
