Korea’s Former First Couple Falls From Grace as Court Sentences First Lady To Join Her Husband in Prison

Korea’s ousted president,Yoon Suk-yeol, and his wife, the former first lady, now share a unique distinction. They’re the first presidential couple in Korean history to be serving prison sentences at the same time.While Mr. Yoon awaits the decision on whether to sentence him to death for his short-lived attempt at imposing martial law in December 2024, his wife, Kim Keon-hee, has just begun a 20-month sentence for having accepted a Chanel bag and a Graff diamond necklace from the Unification Church. The gifts were allegedly given to her by a shaman, a holy person acting on behalf of the leader of the church, the widow of the founder, the Rev. Moon Sun-myung. The mother of 13 of Moon’s 14 children, the widow, Hak Jan-han, 82, remains in jail facing corruption charges.For Ms. Kim, the decision came as a huge relief after the prosecution demanded a 15-year sentence. The court dismissed charges against her for two other offenses, manipulating stock prices and not paying for opinion polls that purported to show her husband’s popularity as president. Ms. Kim appeared immensely relieved for having received a relatively light sentence. She bowed twice before the judge, promising to “humbly accept the judge’s stern words,” as she was led out of the court and back to the jail, where she has languished since August while on trial. The prosecutor, looking for the harshest possible sentences against Mr. Yoon and all those associated with him, said he could not “understand” why the judge failed to find her guilty on all charges and impose a much more severe sentence. He promised to appeal.The mercy shown Ms. Kim, however, is not expected to extend to Mr. Yoon, due to be sentenced on Feb. 19 on charges of insurrection and abuse of power for what the prosecutors call a “coup against the government” when he declared martial law.The National Assembly, dominated by the Minju or democratic party, six hours later voted down his decree, which Mr. Yoon immediately rescinded. Mr. Yoon is expected to be sentenced to life imprisonment if not the death penalty, which will almost certainly never be carried out. He has already been sentenced to five years in prison on the much lesser charge of obstructing the investigation.Ms. Kim was never accused of involvement in the abortive martial law attempt but has long faced complaints for her lifestyle, for which the judge admonished her. “As the first lady, she could have maintained dignity through a style of ‘modesty without meanness and splendor without extravagance,’ yet she failed to resist high-end luxury items and was hasty in adorning herself,” Korea’s biggest-selling newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, quoted the judge as saying. She reportedly “sighed deeply” after the judge told her it was “ unacceptable for her to become a negative example, let alone set a leading example.”

Korea’s Former First Couple Falls From Grace as Court Sentences First Lady To Join Her Husband in Prison

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