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A South Korean appeals court has increased the prison sentence of former first lady Kim Keon Hee to four years, overturning parts of an earlier ruling and finding her guilty on additional charges linked to financial misconduct and bribery.
The Seoul High Court delivered the verdict on Tuesday, raising her sentence from the initial 20 months handed down earlier this year.
“The court sentences the defendant to four years in prison and imposes a 50 million won ($34,000) fine,” signalling a tougher stance on the case after reassessing the evidence.
Central to the ruling was Kim’s involvement in manipulating the share price of Deutsch Motors, a domestic car dealer. The court described the activity as a “collusive trading act constituting market manipulation,” adding that “the defendant appears to have participated in such conduct.” This finding led to the reversal of her earlier acquittal on stock manipulation charges, substantially increasing the severity of her punishment.
Kim, who is married to jailed former president Yoon Suk Yeol, had initially been sentenced in January to 20 months in prison on bribery charges. The case centred on her acceptance of luxury gifts from a religious group described by authorities as cult-like. Both Kim and prosecutors challenged that ruling, seeking to overturn the conviction, while prosecutors argued that the sentence did not adequately reflect the gravity of the offences.
In its latest judgement, the court criticised Kim’s conduct during the proceedings, stating that she had “failed to acknowledge her culpability and has instead consistently resorted to excuses.”
It further noted that her actions had broader implications, concluding that her acceptance of bribes “undermined public trust in the transparency of state affairs and the fair execution of national policy.”
