SEOUL, January 28. /TASS/. The court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon Hee to one year and eight months in prison for violating anti-corruption laws, according to a YTN broadcast.
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Prosecutors brought three charges against her, but she was found
innocent of two of them. Kim was accused of manipulating the prices of a
car dealer's shares. The investigation found that, as a result of her
actions, the former first lady allegedly received a profit of 810
million won ($564,000). However, the court ruled her innocent on this
charge.
In addition, prosecutors charged Kim with failing to comply with campaign finance laws due to free polls conducted in her and her husband's interests ahead of the elections. The court ruled that there was no proof that she violated the law.
At the same time, the court found Kim Keon Hee guilty of violating anti-corruption laws because she had accepted expensive gifts, including luxury handbags and necklaces worth 80 million won (approximately $56,000), from the Unification Church. However, this ruling can be appealed.
Prosecutors demanded a 15-year prison sentence for Kim. The former first lady has been in a detention center since August. This is the first time in South Korea’s history that both the president and the first lady have been sentenced to imprisonment. Earlier, the court ruled that former president Yoon Suk Yeol was guilty of obstructing his arrest and sentenced the politician to five years in prison.