Former South Korean First Lady Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Influence Peddling

A South Korean court has sentenced former First Lady Kim Keon Hee to seven years in prison in a bribery case involving influence peddling. Kim is currently serving a separate prison term for a graft case.

According to a live broadcast of the verdict reading, as reported by AFP on Friday (26/6/2026), the 53-year-old Kim was found guilty of receiving ‘high-value precious metals’ in return for assistance in securing official appointments.

In its ruling on Friday, the South Korean court stated that Kim ‘unhesitatingly accepted valuable items that ordinary citizens would struggle to possess even in a lifetime’.

Kim is currently serving a four-year prison sentence for stock manipulation and bribery. In December last year, she was charged with several additional counts, including receiving jewellery worth a total of 103 million won, equivalent to Rp 1.1 trillion. She received the jewellery from a construction businessman in 2022.

The jewellery was given as a reward because Kim offered to help secure a job position for the businessman’s son-in-law. Kim was also found guilty of receiving a golden turtle statue worth 2.65 million won (Rp 30.8 million) from a South Korean politician and a luxury Vacheron Constantin watch worth 39 million won (Rp 454.2 million) from a ‘robot dog’ entrepreneur.

In a previous hearing on 15 May, prosecutors sought a 7.5-year prison sentence on charges of ‘trading official positions and gratuities’. Kim was accused of repeatedly accepting money and valuables by exploiting her status as the wife of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon is also in prison, having been removed from office after declaring martial law, which plunged South Korea into political chaos.

During her trial, Kim maintained her innocence, arguing that although she did receive the gifts, there was no accompanying request for favours.