Case Summary

Kim Keon‑hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison after a Seoul court found her guilty only of influence-peddling involving luxury gifts, while acquitting her of allegations related to stock price manipulation and political opinion polling benefits.

The ruling marks the first time in Korean constitutional history that both a former president and his spouse have received custodial sentences.


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Court and Charges

Court: Seoul Central District Court, Criminal Division 27

Presiding Judge: Woo In-seong

Charges:

1. Capital Markets Act violations (stock price manipulation)


2. Political Funds Act violations (polling benefits)


3. Aggravated Punishment Act – Influence-peddling (알선수재)



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Key Holdings

1. Stock Price Manipulation (Deutsch Motors) – Not Guilty

The court held that even if Kim was aware of suspicious trading activity, the evidence did not support a finding that she acted as a co-principal offender in market manipulation. Mere awareness or indirect involvement was insufficient to establish joint criminal liability.

2. Opinion Polling Benefits – Not Guilty

Kim was accused of receiving repeated opinion polling results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun.
The court found that:

The polls were not conducted exclusively for Kim or her husband, and

The provision of polling data could not be treated as a “property-like economic benefit” under criminal law.


Accordingly, this charge also resulted in acquittal.

3. Luxury Gifts Linked to Religious Lobbying – Guilty

The court did convict Kim for influence-peddling, finding that she accepted:

A Chanel handbag (approx. KRW 12 million), and

A Graff diamond necklace (approx. KRW 60 million),


from individuals linked to the Unification Church, in connection with lobbying efforts on church-related policy interests.

The court stated that Kim:

> “Misused her status as a means of private enrichment”
and criticized her for failing to refuse luxury items clearly tied to solicitation.


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Sentence

Imprisonment: 1 year and 8 months

Additional monetary penalty: KRW 12,815,000


This was substantially lower than the 15-year prison term sought by the special prosecution team, reflecting the court’s decision to convict on only one of three major allegations.


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Why This Case Matters

This judgment is notable for three reasons:

1. Narrow Criminal Liability
The court drew a sharp line between ethical controversy and criminal proof, especially in complex financial crimes.


2. Strict Interpretation of “Economic Benefit”
Not all political advantages qualify as criminally punishable benefits under Korean law.


3. Low Tolerance for Gift-Based Influence
In contrast, luxury goods tied to lobbying were treated as a clear and punishable form of corruption.

In short, market complexity protected Kim Keon-hee, but Chanel and diamonds did not.

Article: https://m.mbn.co.kr/news/society/5171997?ty=e2