Former South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison after a Seoul court convicted her on corruption charges related to bribes accepted in exchange for business favours. The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, marks a dramatic fall from grace for a once-prominent figure in South Korea's cultural and political mainstream.
Kim's conviction centres on allegations that she received gifts — including luxury items — from officials of the Unification Church in return for influencing decisions that favoured the organisation. While prosecutors had sought a much harsher 15-year sentence on charges including stock price manipulation and political funding violations, the court acquitted her on several counts, including stock fraud, citing insufficient evidence.
