Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee's Prison Sentence Reduced on Appeal

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee had her seven-year prison sentence reduced to five years Tuesday, after an appeals court cleared her of accepting a 39.9 million won ($29,000) Vacheron Constantin watch in return for business favors.

The Seoul High Court upheld most of Kim’s conviction for accepting luxury goods from people seeking public appointments and other favors through her influence as the spouse of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

It ordered her to pay 24.4 million won in forfeiture and the confiscation of an original painting by Lee Ufan and other seized items. The lower court had ordered 64.8 million won in forfeiture.

The appeals court said it could not rule out Kim’s claim that the businessperson had merely purchased the watch on her behalf. Even if he paid for it, prosecutors had not proved that Kim knew it was provided in return for influence over his robotic dog business, the court said.

The court also acquitted Kim of accepting a 500,000 won replica of a historic painting from former National Education Commission Chair Lee Bae-yong, finding insufficient evidence that it was given in exchange for an appointment.

It upheld convictions involving other gifts, including jewelry worth 103.8 million won linked to an appointment request, Dior products worth 5.4 million won, a gold turtle ornament and the Lee Ufan painting.

The court said Kim accepted valuables from people seeking favors despite holding a position capable of exerting significant influence over state affairs.

“Despite being fully aware that the donors expected her to exercise influence as the president’s spouse, she disregarded the responsibilities of her position and accepted the valuables without hesitation, seriously undermining public trust in public officials,” it said.

Kim’s lawyers said they would appeal to the Supreme Court, while the special counsel team said it would seek to overturn the watch-related acquittal.