Main
News
World
A former first lady has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in South Korea

A former first lady has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in South Korea

26 June 2026, 16:44

A former first lady has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in South Korea — Kim Kang-hee, former First Lady of South Korea

A court in Seoul has sentenced former First Lady Kim Kun-hee to seven years in prison for accepting expensive gifts and appointing certain individuals to positions in return.

Yonhap reports this.

Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki’s team sought a 7.5-year prison sentence, arguing that the former first lady had “repeatedly used her official status for personal gain”.

Kim Keon-hee was arrested on 13 August 2025. She and former President Yoon Seok-yol became the first former presidential couple to be detained at the same time.

Investigators believe she was involved in a share price manipulation scheme involving Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, between 2009 and 2012, interfered in the nomination of candidates for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections and the 2024 general election, and received lavish gifts from the Unification Church via a shaman in exchange for business favours.

During questioning on 6 August 2025, she apologised, describing herself as a ‘worthless person’ who had ‘caused concern amongst the people’. However, she denied all the charges.

It should be recalled that the former President of South Korea, Yoon Seok-yol, was also sentenced to life imprisonment for imposing martial law in the country on 3 December 2024: it lasted around six hours but triggered an acute domestic crisis.

In June 2026, Yoo was given an additional 30 years’ imprisonment for ordering the launch of drones into North Korean territory in October 2024.

The court concluded that, by launching the drones, Yoon Seok-yeol had sought to create a pretext for martial law and provoke Pyongyang into a response.

Investigation

World

‘The perfect family home’. The house in Salisbury where Skripal was poisoned with ‘Novichok’ has been put up for sale

A house in the British town of Salisbury, where former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal was poisoned with ‘Novichok’, has been put up for sale. The building was purchased by the local council in 2021.