South Korea's former first lady sentenced to 20 months in prison for
corruption
[January 28, 2026]
By HYUNG-JIN KIM
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The wife of South Korea’s ousted President
Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to 20 months in prison for corruption
Wednesday, as her husband awaits a verdict on a high-stakes rebellion
charge that could result in the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The presidential couple, who have been jailed separately for months,
suffered a spectacular fall from grace after Yoon’s martial law debacle
in December 2024 led to his impeachment and eventually his removal from
office. Yoon was handed a five-year prison term this month for defying
authorities’ attempts to detain him and other charges related to the
martial law decree.
Investigators say Kim was not involved in Yoon's martial law
enforcement.
Kim's opponents say her sentence is too lenient
On Wednesday, Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kim for receiving
luxury gifts like a Graff diamond necklace and a Chanel bag from the
Unification Church in return for promises of political favors.
“Being closest to a president, a first lady can exert significant
influence on him and is a symbolic figure who represents the country
together with a president,” the court said in a televised verdict. “But
the defendant exploited her position to seek personal gains.”
Kim said via her lawyers that she would “humbly accept” the court's view
and “apologizes again to everyone for causing concerns."
The 20-month sentence was a surprise after independent counsel Min
Joong-ki called for a 15-year prison term for Kim on three charges
including stock price manipulation, political funding law violations and
accepting bribes. The court acquitted Kim of two other charges, citing a
lack of evidence and other reasons.
Min's team responded that it cannot accept the ruling and will appeal to
a higher court. The governing liberal Democratic Party, which led Yoon's
ouster, slammed the verdict as sending a wrong signal that “abuse of
power like Kim Keon Hee's can be tolerated.”
Kim’s lawyer Choi Ji-woo said Min’s investigation was politically
driven. He said Kim's defense team thanked the court for its verdict but
said the 20-month prison term was “relatively high.” He said his team
will discuss whether to appeal.
Kim's scandals were political burdens for Yoon
Kim has been in jail since August when the Seoul court approved a
warrant to arrest her, citing the chance she might destroy evidence.
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South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee, wife of former
president Yoon Suk Yeol, arrives at a court to attend a hearing to
review her arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors, in
Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 12, 2025. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via
AP, File)
When Yoon was in office, Kim was embroiled in a slew of scandals
that severely hurt the conservative leader's approval rating and
provided relentless political ammunition to his rivals. The scandals
included the three charges the court dealt with Wednesday.
Many observers speculated Yoon opted to place the country under a
military rule to protect his wife from possible investigations. But
after a six-month probe into Yoon’s decree, investigators led by
another independent counsel, Cho Eun-suk, in December downplayed
conjecture that Kim’s troubles drove Yoon to declare martial law.
Yoon plotted for over a year to declare martial law so he could
eliminate his political opponents and monopolize power and there was
also no evidence of Kim's involvement, Cho’s team said.
Yoon awaiting verdict on rebellion charge
The ruling against Kim was made about three weeks before the court
delivers its verdict on a rebellion charge against Yoon. Cho's team
has demanded the death sentence for Yoon by viewing his martial law
imposition as a rebellion.
A rebellion conviction carries the death penalty or life
imprisonment. But a court could immediately commute the sentence.
Experts say the court likely will sentence him to life or a lengthy
imprisonment because South Korea has maintained a de-facto
moratorium on executions since late 1997.
After a near-constant collision course with his liberal rivals, Yoon
abruptly declared martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, vowing to eliminate
“anti-state forces” and “shameless North Korea sympathizers.” He has
defended his action, calling it a desperate attempt to draw public
support for his fight against the Democratic Party which obstructed
his agenda.
Yoon sent troops and police officers to encircle the National
Assembly. But many failed to aggressively cordon off the area as
thousands of people gathered, calling for Yoon’s ouster. Lawmakers,
including some from Yoon's own ruling party, entered an assembly
hall and voted down his decree.
Yoon was later impeached by the National Assembly, arrested by
prosecutors and formally thrown out of office after a Constitutional
Court ruling.
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