The first verdict in the first trial for first lady Kim Keon-hee, who faces charges of lobbying on Unification Church pending issues and receiving money and political funds, will come this week. It will be the first conclusion among three cases involving Kim that were indicted by special counsel Min Joong-ki's special counsel team.
Following former President Yoon Suk-yeol and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo receiving prison sentences on insurrection-related charges, attention is on whether Kim will be punished and what the sentence will be.
According to legal sources on the 25th, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge Woo In-seong) will hold a sentencing hearing at 2:10 p.m. on the 28th for Kim on charges of violating the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act and the Political Funds Act, and on bribery as an intermediary under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes.
Kim was indicted on Aug. 29 last year on charges including participating in Deutsch Motors stock manipulation from October 2010 to December 2012 and obtaining illicit gains of 810 million won.
At the closing argument last month, the special counsel team sought 11 years in prison, a fine of 2 billion won, and forfeiture of 811.44 million won for the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation and receipt of money from the Unification Church, and, for the charge of receiving polling results from a person surnamed Myeong, sought four years in prison and forfeiture of 137.2 million won, respectively.
Kim has also been indicted on charges of asking Unification Church members to join the People Power Party en masse to push a specific candidate to be party leader at the party convention, and on so-called "buying and selling offices," in which money was received in exchange for public posts.
On the same day, sentencing hearings will also proceed in turn for former global headquarters chief Yoon Young-ho and lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, who were implicated in the Unification Church lobbying allegations.
On the 30th, the appellate verdict will be handed down on the judicial power abuse allegations involving former Chief Justice Yang Seung-tae and former Supreme Court justices Park Byung-dae and Ko Young-han. It comes two years after the first trial judgment.
In January 2024, the first trial court had acquitted former Chief Justice Yang and former justices Park Byung-dae and Ko Young-han of all charges.