A South Korean court on Wednesday sentenced former First Lady Kim Keon Hee to one year and eight months in prison, marking a dramatic fall for a figure once at the centre of presidential power and underscoring the depth of a political crisis that has engulfed the country’s highest offices over the past two years.
The Seoul Central District Court found Kim, the wife of disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol, guilty of accepting bribes from the Unification Church, a powerful and controversial religious organisation long accused of wielding political influence behind the scenes. Prosecutors said Kim received at least $200,000 in cash and luxury items, including high-end handbags and jewellery, in exchange for access and influence.
At the same time, the court cleared Kim of other major allegations, including stock price manipulation and violations of South Korea’s political funds law — charges that had threatened to further deepen the scandal surrounding the former first lady.
The ruling brings partial closure to a case that has loomed over South Korean politics since Yoon’s presidency and contributed to his eventual downfall. Kim had consistently denied wrongdoing, calling the accusations “deeply unjust” in her final testimony last month, even as she offered a public apology for what she described as her failure to live up to the responsibilities associated with her position.
“When I consider my role and the responsibilities entrusted to me, it seems clear that I have made many mistakes,” she said in December, adding that she regretted “causing trouble despite being a person of no importance.”
Prosecutors, however, painted a far darker picture. In court filings and public statements, they accused Kim of “standing above the law” and colluding with the Unification Church in ways that undermined South Korea’s constitutionally mandated separation of religion and state. Prosecutor Min Joong-ki said the case illustrated how the country’s institutions had been “severely undermined by abuses of power.”
The investigation also swept up Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, who is currently on trial after authorities alleged the religious group provided Kim with lavish gifts — including two Chanel handbags and a diamond necklace — as part of a sustained effort to cultivate influence within the presidential circle.
Kim’s conviction is inseparable from the broader collapse of her husband’s presidency. Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted from office last year and later sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a brief but chaotic declaration of martial law in December 2024, an episode that shocked the nation and drew comparisons to darker chapters of South Korea’s authoritarian past. Yoon still faces a separate case in which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Public scrutiny of Kim intensified well before Yoon’s removal from office. In 2023, hidden-camera footage surfaced appearing to show her accepting a $2,200 luxury handbag — an incident widely referred to as the “Dior bag scandal.” The footage triggered public outrage and further eroded Yoon’s already sagging approval ratings.
The controversy proved politically costly. In April 2024, Yoon’s party suffered a decisive defeat in parliamentary elections, failing to regain a majority as voter frustration over corruption and perceived impunity boiled over. Despite mounting pressure, Yoon vetoed three opposition-backed bills that sought to launch independent investigations into allegations against his wife, including the Dior bag case. His final veto came in November 2024. One week later, he declared martial law — a move that ultimately sealed his political fate.
Kim’s sentencing comes amid a wider reckoning for senior figures linked to Yoon’s administration. Just days earlier, former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 23 years in prison for aiding and abetting the suspension of civilian rule, a punishment eight years longer than prosecutors had requested.
Together, the verdicts signal an aggressive judicial response to what many South Koreans see as a period of profound institutional breakdown. For a country that prides itself on democratic resilience and the rule of law, the fall of a president, a first lady, and multiple senior officials has become a stark reminder of how fragile those norms can be — and how costly their erosion can prove.
By FCCT Editorial Team
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