South Korea’s Ex-First Lady Jailed for 20 Months for Bribery

A special counsel team appointed to the case said Kim received 80m ($56,000; £40,600) won of gifts, which include a Graff diamond necklace and several Chanel handbags, from the Unification Chruch between April and July 2022, in exchange for business and political favours.

The team had sought a 15-year jail term and a fine of 2 billion won for all three charges heard on Wednesday – for which Kim was convicted of one – but the judge noted that Kim was not the one who demanded or solicited the bribes, and that she had “no significant criminal record”.

She was however ordered to pay back 12.85 million won in cash and the court also ordered the confiscation of the diamond necklace.

Kim has also been charged over her alleged involvement in a scheme to recruit Unification Church followers to the conservative People Power Party that her husband was part of, and accepting gifts in exchange for government job appointments. The court has yet to hear those cases.

The former first lady had denied all charges, saying they were “deeply unjust”, although she did admit to receiving Chanel bags, which she said she later returned without using.

She made a public apology when she appeared for questioning last August. “I am truly sorry that a nobody like me has caused concern to the people,” she said.

Investigations into Kim’s dealings with the Unification Church had also led to the arrest of church leader Han Hak-ja.

Apart from the criminal allegations, Kim has also been the subject of other controversies. Last year, Sookmyung Women’s University annulled an art education degree she graduated with in 1999, after an ethics panel found she had plagiarised her master’s thesis. BBC