by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
SEOUL (Worthy News) – South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison for stock manipulation and bribery, with her legal team saying she will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
An appeals court found that Kim took part in manipulating the price of a thinly traded stock alongside multiple traders, overturning a lower court decision that had cleared her of that charge.
Judges also ruled that she accepted luxury gifts—including two Chanel bags and a Graff necklace worth about 80 million won (roughly $54,000)—from the Unification Church while aware it expected political favors in return.
“Kim exerted her influence as first lady and committed the bribery,” the presiding judge said, adding that her actions damaged public trust and deepened divisions over national affairs.
COURT: TRUST DAMAGED
The court imposed a fine of 70 million won and ordered the confiscation of the necklace.
Kim, the wife of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, had previously been sentenced to 20 months in January on bribery charges, while being acquitted of other allegations.
The appellate court upheld her acquittal on charges related to election law violations, but expanded her conviction to include stock manipulation.
Kim has denied wrongdoing, and her lawyers confirmed she would challenge Tuesday’s decision at the Supreme Court.
APPEAL TO SUPREME COURT
The case is part of a broader series of legal proceedings linked to Yoon, who was removed from office and later sentenced to life in prison over his role in imposing martial law in 2024.
Several former officials, including ex-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, have also faced prison sentences in connection with the scandal.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether Kansas City can use its public accommodation ordinance to require Christian counselors to counsel gay married couples despite the counselors’ biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in the Netherlands for one of Europe’s largest multi-day Christian events, with organizers and participants expressing hopes for spiritual revival in the nation and across Europe.
President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against sharp criticism from Republicans and former administration officials over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, insisting that any final accord must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or it will not be signed.
President Donald Trump said Monday that countries involved in negotiations over Iran should be required to join the Abraham Accords, signaling that the White House is seeking to turn a possible Iran agreement into a wider regional realignment that includes normalization with Israel.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Sunday after at least tens of thousands of people demanded elections and rallied against what they view as the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, with violence erupting after the protest and more than 20 people arrested.
Investigations were ongoing Sunday into the killing of three senior Kuki-Thadou Christian church leaders by unidentified gunmen in India’s northeastern Manipur State, Christian investigators told Worthy News.