South Korean court extends prison sentence for wife of ousted president

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An appeals court has increased to four years the sentence for the wife of South Korea’s ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol for corruption, weeks after her husband was sentenced to life in prison for rebellion.

In January, ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced to 20 months in prison in a district court for receiving gifts including a Graff diamond necklace and a Chanel bag from the Unification Church, which sought political favors from the government. However, she was acquitted of involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme before she became first lady.

Both parties appealed. On Tuesday, the Seoul High Court convicted her of receiving another Chanel bag from the church and on the price manipulation charge.

The couple suffered a fall from grace after Yoon’s martial law imposition in December 2024 led to his impeachment and eventual removal from office. Yoon faces a slew of criminal trials related to his martial law debacle and other scandals. Investigators say Kim was not involved in Yoon’s martial law enforcement.

The Seoul High Court said a first lady, being closest to a president, represents the country together with her husband and has a big influence on him. It said Kim failed to meet public expectations for her integrity and exploited her high-profile status to get the gifts from the Unification Church.

Kim’s lawyers said they’ll appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. Independent counsel Min Joong-ki’s team earlier requested a 15-year term. Kim’s defense team has argued Min’s investigation was politically driven.

Kim has been in jail since August, when the Seoul Central District Court approved a warrant to arrest her, citing the chance she might destroy evidence. When Yoon was in office, Kim was embroiled in scandals that hurt her husband’s approval rating and provided political ammunition to his rivals.

On Dec. 3, 2024, Yoon, a conservative, abruptly imposed martial law and sent troops and police officers to the National Assembly, saying he aimed to eliminate “anti-state forces” and “shameless North Korea sympathizers.” The martial law lasted six hours as he was forced to lift it after the assembly unanimously voted it down.

He has defended his action, calling it a desperate attempt to draw public support for his fight against the liberal opposition Democratic Party that obstructed his agenda.

In February, the Seoul district court found Yoon guilty of rebellion for mobilizing military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize the assembly, arrest political opponents and establish unchecked power for an indefinite period.