South Korea ex-first lady jailed over Unification Church bribes

South Korea’s former first lady, Kim Keon Hee, has been sentenced to one year and eight months in prison after a court found she accepted bribes linked to the Unification Church, according to Yonhap.

The Seoul Central District Court said Kim took luxury gifts as part of efforts by the church to gain influence, while clearing her of separate allegations involving stock-price manipulation and breaches of political funding rules.

Prosecutors had accused Kim of receiving at least $200,000 in gifts and other benefits, including items said to involve two Chanel handbags and a diamond necklace, as investigators widened their scrutiny of the Unification Church’s political links.

Kim, who has denied wrongdoing, told the court the case against her was “deeply unjust”, though she has previously apologised for “causing trouble” while insisting she held no special status.

The verdict lands amid the broader fallout from the downfall of her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office after his short-lived martial law declaration in December 2024 and has since faced multiple criminal proceedings.

Kim’s legal troubles also revive public anger over earlier controversies, including the so-called “Dior bag” scandal, which damaged Yoon’s standing and intensified calls for independent investigations that he repeatedly vetoed.