Prison Sentence for Former South Korean First Lady Increased to 4 Years

South Korea’s appellate court has intensified the prison sentence for former First Lady Kim Keon Hee in a corruption case. Initially sentenced to 20 months in prison, Kim has now been handed a four-year prison term after being found guilty of stock manipulation and bribery charges.

This much heavier sentence, as reported by AFP on Tuesday (28/4/2026), was imposed after the court overturned the previous lower court decision regarding the stock price manipulation charges.

“The court sentences the defendant to four years in prison and imposes a fine of 50 million won (Rp 584.5 million),” stated the Seoul High Court ruling, which was broadcast live on television on Tuesday (28/4) local time.

The Seoul High Court declared Kim guilty of manipulating the stock price of Deutsch Motors, a South Korean car dealership, which the court described as “a collusive act of market manipulation trading.”

“The defendant appears to have participated in that act,” the court said while overturning the lower court’s decision on the stock manipulation charges.

Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is also imprisoned, was sentenced to 20 months in prison last January on bribery charges after receiving luxury gifts from a church resembling a sect.

She appealed the decision in hopes of clearing her name, while prosecutors also appealed, arguing that the sentence was too lenient and that the dismissal of the stock manipulation charges was invalid.

The Seoul High Court, in its ruling on Tuesday (28/4), stated that Kim “failed to acknowledge her wrongdoing and instead repeatedly sought excuses.”

Due to the bribes received by Kim, according to the Seoul High Court, “public trust in the transparency of state affairs and the fair implementation of national policies has been damaged.”