Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee Appeals Five-Year Bribery Sentence

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee appealed a five-year prison sentence to South Korea’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, extending a bribery-related case that has already produced different outcomes at the district and appellate court levels.

Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, filed the appeal after the Seoul High Court handed down its ruling on Tuesday. The appellate court convicted her of accepting bribes in exchange for mediation but reduced the seven-year sentence imposed by a lower court.

The case centers on allegations that Kim received expensive gifts from several people between 2022 and 2023. A special counsel team alleged that the gifts were provided in return for assistance involving job appointments and business favors. Prosecutors brought multiple counts against her as part of the case.

A district court convicted Kim on all counts in June and sentenced her to seven years in prison. The Seoul High Court later reached a narrower judgment. It acquitted her of allegations involving a luxury watch and a replica of a painting from the Joseon Dynasty, which lasted from 1392 to 1910. Those acquittals contributed to the reduction of her sentence to five years.

Kim’s appeal now sends the case to the country’s highest court. The Supreme Court will review the appellate ruling after the Seoul High Court partially overturned the district court’s decision. The filing means the five-year sentence remains subject to further judicial review rather than closing the case at the appeals-court stage.

The special counsel team has also indicated that it plans to appeal. That would place both the conviction and the portions of the case rejected by the appellate court before the Supreme Court. Kim is challenging the judgment against her, while prosecutors are preparing to contest the acquittals or other aspects of the reduced ruling.

The next stage will therefore focus on whether the appellate court’s treatment of the bribery-related charges should stand. The Supreme Court’s eventual decision will determine whether the five-year sentence and the narrower scope of conviction remain in place, or whether additional proceedings are required. No timetable for a final ruling was announced.