Seoul, Sep 22 (IANS): An appellate court on Tuesday reduced South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee’s sentence to five years in prison during her bribery trial on charges of taking expensive gifts in return for job appointments.
The Seoul High Court partially overturned a lower court’s seven-year sentence for Kim, the wife of South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol, acquitting her of some of the charges brought by special counsel Min Joong-ki.
Kim’s legal team called the partial acquittal “meaningful” but indicated it would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. The special counsel team said it would review the ruling before taking it to the top court, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Min’s team earlier indicted Kim on charges of receiving jewellery worth a total of over 100 million won (USD 72,800) from a construction company chairman between March and May 2022 in exchange for a government job for his son-in-law.
Yoon, Kim’s husband, took office in May 2022 following his presidential election victory in March that year.
She was also charged with receiving a golden turtle ornament and a replica of a Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) painting from Lee Bae-yong, former head of the National Education Commission, in April 2022, in return for her appointment; a Dior bag from a pastor the same year; and a Vacheron Constantin watch from another businessperson in September 2022.
She was additionally accused of receiving a painting by renowned artist Lee Ufan from a former prosecutor in February 2023 in exchange for her help in securing him a nomination for an election.
While the lower court convicted her on all counts in June, the appellate court acquitted her of charges of receiving the luxury watch and the replica painting.
The appeals court found her guilty for the rest of the charges, ordering the confiscation of the Lee Ufan painting and other gifts, and forfeiture of 24.4 million won. The lower court had ordered Kim to forfeit 64.8 million won.
“The influence of the president’s spouse was reduced to a subject of private transactions, while the transparency and fairness of state affairs as well as the public’s trust in state policies and personnel appointments were severely damaged,” the court said.
It reprimanded Kim for “repeatedly” accepting valuables even though she should have been “fully aware” the gift-givers expected her to exercise her influence as the president’s spouse.
