First lady Kim Keon-hee, indicted on charges of so-called "modern-day sale of offices" for receiving expensive jewelry and paintings under the pretext of personnel solicitation, was sentenced to seven years in prison in the first trial. The court found Kim guilty on all counts of brokerage bribery.
The Criminal Agreement Division 21 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Cho Soon-pyo) on the 26th sentenced Kim to seven years in prison on charges of brokerage bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The sentence is six months less than the seven years and six months sought by the Kim Keon-hee special counsel.
The court ordered the forfeiture of one painting by artist Lee Ufan, a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, one empty Vacheron watch box, one Tiffany brooch, one Dior bag, and one gold turtle case, and ordered 64.8 million won to be collected.
Lee Bong-gwan, chair of Seohee Construction, who was tried together on charges of providing money and valuables to Kim, was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years. Seo Sung-bin, CEO of Drone Dome, was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, and Pastor Choi Jae-young was fined 8 million won. The court also found Lee, Seo, and Choi guilty of violating the anti-graft law.
◇ Court: "Sale of offices using the status of the president's spouse"
The court recognized a quid pro quo between the expensive items Kim received and the solicitations. The court found all the charges proven that Kim accepted about 300 million won worth of money and valuables in return for brokering various solicitations.
In explaining the sentence, the court strongly rebuked Kim. "As the president's spouse, Kim holds a position that can have an enormous impact on the overall conduct of state affairs, more than any high-ranking public official," the court said, adding, "If Kim were a public official, the amount received would fall under 100 million won or more, subject to life imprisonment or at least 10 years in prison."
The court continued, "Kim abandoned social responsibility and repeatedly received money and valuables," and noted, "This case has become known to the public as a 'sale of offices' case in which multiple personnel and business solicitations were transacted for expensive money and valuables by leveraging the status of the spouse at the core of the highest power."
The court said, "Kim has accepted from others, without hesitation, money and valuables that ordinary people find difficult to obtain even once in a lifetime," adding, "Looking into the solicitations tied to what Kim received, their nature is also very serious."
◇ All charges over receiving necklace, watch, luxury bag, and painting found guilty
Kim was indicted on charges of receiving 103.8 million won worth of items, including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and Graff earrings, from Lee from Mar. 15 to May 20, 2022. The special counsel viewed that Lee sought business favors and personnel matters for his eldest son-in-law, former Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Park Sung-geun.
Kim was also charged with receiving, in Apr. 2022 and early June, from former National Education Commission Chair Lee Bae-yong, a gold turtle and a reproduction of Sehando worth 2.65 million won under the pretext of personnel solicitation. On Sept. 8 the same year, she was additionally charged with receiving a Vacheron Constantin wristwatch worth 33.9 million won from Seo, a robot-dog entrepreneur, under the pretext of a business solicitation.
The court also found Kim guilty of receiving a Dior luxury bag and other items from Pastor Choi from June 20 to Sept. 13, 2022, along with a solicitation related to a public official's duties.
Kim was also found guilty of receiving around Feb. 2023 from former senior prosecutor Kim Sang-min a work by artist Lee Ufan, "From Point No.800298," worth 1.4 billion won, along with a nomination solicitation for the People Power Party.
Kim's side argued there was no receipt of money or that it was not received specifically for brokering a solicitation, but the court did not accept this.
The court also viewed unfavorably Kim's claims during the investigation that she returned some items or purchased them herself. "Once the investigation intensified, the defendant returned some items belatedly with the excuse of 'thank you for lending them,' or claimed to have purchased them herself to avoid responsibility," the court said. "This shows that, while fully aware of the illegality of the conduct, she sought to conceal it."
After the sentencing, Kim's attorney told reporters, "The court overly magnified circumstances unfavorable to the defendant," adding, "We will closely review the written judgment and appeal."
The special counsel said it welcomes the ruling, saying, "We believe an appropriate judgment has been handed down that aligns with the public's sense of justice."
Separate from this case, Kim received a four-year prison sentence on appeal for the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation and the Geonjin and Unification Church bribery cases, and the final appeal is underway. She has also been indicted over allegations related to the mass enrollment of Unification Church members in the People Power Party, with the first trial set to open on Aug. 14.