South Korea's ex-first lady jailed for 20 months for taking bribes

Controversy has long surrounded 53-year-old Kim and accusations of graft, influence peddling and even academic fraud dominated her husband Yoon Suk Yeol's time in office.

Both are now in custody -- Yoon for actions taken during his disastrous declaration of martial law in December 2024 and its chaotic aftermath and Kim for corruption.

On Wednesday, Judge Woo In-sung of the Seoul Central District Court found her guilty of corruption and sentenced her to 20 months in prison.

She was found to have accepted lavish bribes from the cult-like Unification Church -- including a Chanel bag and a Graff necklace.

She was, however, found not guilty of stock manipulation and violations of South Korea's campaign financing laws.

Prosecutors had asked for 15 years.

Judge Woo said Kim's close proximity to the president had given her "significant influence" that she had taken advantage of.

"One's position must never become a means of pursuing private gain," he said.

Kim, he added had "abused her position as a means of pursuing personal gain".

The former first lady sat in the court as the sentence was read out, wearing a black suit, a white face mask and glasses.

Her lawyer Choi Ji-woo thanked the court for "conducting the trial independently, guided solely by the law and their conscience".

Prosecutors at her final hearing in December said Kim had "stood above the law" and colluded with the Unification Church to undermine "the constitutionally mandated separation of religion and state".

Prosecutor Min Joong-ki also said South Korea's institutions were "severely undermined by abuses of power" committed by Kim.

The former first lady has denied all the charges, claiming the allegations were "deeply unjust" in her final testimony last month.

But she has also apologised for "causing trouble despite being a person of no importance".

"When I consider my role and the responsibilities entrusted to me, it seems clear that I have made many mistakes," she said in December.

She faces two additional trials on bribery and Political Parties Act violations over allegations she arranged the mass enrollment of more than 2,400 Unification Church followers into Yoon's conservative People Power Party.
Dogged by scandal
A self-professed animal lover known internationally for her work campaigning for South Korea to ban dog meat, Kim's scandals frequently overshadowed her husband's domestic political agenda.

In 2023, hidden camera footage appeared to show Kim accepting a $2,200 luxury handbag in what was later dubbed the "Dior bag scandal", further dragging down Yoon's already dismal approval ratings.

The scandal contributed to a stinging defeat for Yoon's party in general elections in April 2024, as it failed to win back a parliamentary majority.

Yoon vetoed three opposition-backed bills to investigate allegations against Kim, including the Dior bag case, with the last veto in November 2024.

A week later, he declared martial law.

Kim's sentencing came days after former prime minister Han Duck-soo was handed 23 years in prison for aiding and abetting Yoon's suspension of civilian rule.

And this month Yoon was sentenced to five years for obstructing justice and other crimes in the first of a number of trials linked to that declaration.

The probe into Kim also led to the arrest of Han Hak-ja, leader of the Unification Church, which claims 10 million followers worldwide and runs a vast business empire.

Also on Wednesday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yun Young-ho, a former Unification Church official, to 14 months in prison for offering luxury gifts to former first lady Kim and providing illegal political funds to a lawmaker.

Opposition lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, an ally of ex-president Yoon, was also jailed for two years for receiving 100 million won ($70,000) from the controversial sect.