South Korea court sentences ex-First Lady Kim to jail term for bribery

A South Korean court on Wednesday sentenced former First Lady Kim Keon Hee to one year and eight months in jail after finding her guilty of accepting bribes from Unification Church officials in return for political favours.

The court cleared Kim, who is the wife of ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol who was ousted from office last year, on charges of stock price manipulation and violating the political funds act.

The ruling, which can be appealed by the former first lady or prosecutors, comes amid a series of trials following investigations into Yoon's brief imposition of martial law in 2024 and related scandals involving the once-powerful couple.

Prosecutors had demanded 15 years in jail and fines of 2.9 billion won ($2 million) over accusations that include accepting luxury Chanel bags and a diamond necklace from South Korea's Unification Church in return for political favours.

The court found there was not sufficient evidence to conclude Kim was guilty of manipulating stock prices and violating political funding laws, by receiving opinion polls from a power broker in return for influencing the choice of poll candidates.

Kim had denied all the charges. Her lawyer said the team would review the ruling and decide whether to appeal the bribery conviction.

Kim walked into the courtroom at the Seoul Central District Court clad in a dark suit and wearing a face mask, and sat quietly as the lead judge of a three-justice bench delivered the verdict.

The Unification Church said the gifts were delivered to her without expecting anything. Its leader Han Hak-ja, who is also on trial, has denied that she directed it to bribe Kim.

Yoon, who was ousted from power last April, also faces eight trials on charges including insurrection, after his failed bid to impose martial law in December 2024.

He has appealed against a five-year jail term handed to him this month for obstructing attempts to arrest him after his martial law decree.