South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon‑hee sentenced to 7 years for bribery

A South Korean court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon‑hee to an additional seven‑year prison term for bribery. The court found she had received luxury jewelry and other high‑value gifts—including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, a Tiffany & Co. cufflink, Graff earrings, a gold turtle, and a Vacheron Constantin watch—worth about 103 million won (≈ 59 000 EUR) in exchange for influence such as public appointments.

The ruling follows her existing four‑year sentence for stock‑manipulation and corruption, imposed after a January trial. Prosecutors had sought a seven‑year and six‑month term. Kim’s husband, former president Yoon Suk‑yeol, remains incarcerated for a failed attempt to impose a military law in late 2014. The verdict underscores ongoing scrutiny of the former presidential family’s alleged misuse of power.