Diamond Necklace Lands Ex-First Lady in Prison
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)
South Korea has marked an unprecedented political moment: a former president and first lady have now been convicted in separate cases at the same time.
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office, was sentenced earlier this month to five years in prison for his role in an attempted martial law plan in 2024. On Wednesday, a Seoul court also sentenced his wife, Kim Keon Hee, to 20 months in prison for accepting luxury gifts from the Unification Church in exchange for political and business favors, according to the BBC.
Prosecutors said Kim accepted items worth about 80 million won (approximately $60,000) between April and July 2022, including a Graff diamond necklace and several Chanel handbags. The court ordered her to repay about $9,000 and forfeit the necklace.
Kim, 52, was acquitted of separate charges involving stock price manipulation and receiving free political polling ahead of the 2022 election that brought Yoon to power. A special counsel had sought a 15-year prison sentence and roughly $2 million in fines on all charges, NBC News reported. However, Judge Woo In-sung said Kim did not initiate the bribery scheme and had no significant prior criminal record. Still, he ruled that she failed to reject the solicitations, was overly focused on personal luxury, and misused her position for personal gain.
Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, who is also standing trial, has claimed the gifts were given with no expectations attached. Kim has called the charges “deeply unjust,” acknowledging only that she received handbags that were later returned.
Kim still faces additional trials related to allegations that she helped channel Unification Church followers into Yoon’s conservative People Power Party and exchanged gifts for government appointments. Yoon is also facing multiple legal proceedings, including a pending verdict on a charge of attempted insurrection, for which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
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