Who is the former first lady of South Korea sentenced to prison in scandal involving luxury handbags and controversial church

The former first lady of South Korea, Kim Keon, on trial Getty Images/BBC Two Chanel handbags, a BMW dealership and a controversial church were at the center of a trial faced by the former first lady of South Korea, Kim Keon Hee, this Wednesday (28). She was sentenced to a year and a half in prison. ✅ Follow g1’s international news channel on WhatsApp Wife of disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol, she was arrested in August on a series of charges, including bribery and political interference. She denies all accusations. Prosecutors accused Kim, 52, of profiting more than 800 million won (about R$2.9 million) by participating in a price manipulation scheme involving the shares of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealership in South Korea, from October 2010 to December 2012. She was also accused of accepting luxury handbags, a diamond necklace and other gifts worth up to 80 million won (about R$2.9 million). 289.7 million) as bribes from the controversial Unification Church in exchange for business favors, as well as receiving 58 free opinion polls worth 270 million won from political broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the 2022 presidential election. The court found her guilty of accepting bribes from Unification Church officials and acquitted her of charges of manipulating stock prices and violating South Korea’s campaign finance laws. There are still, however, two cases against her that the South Korean court did not analyze. The verdict comes less than two weeks after her husband was sentenced to prison for abuse of power and obstruction of justice for his failed attempt to impose martial law. This isn’t the first time Kim has been embroiled in controversy. South Korean court condemns former president in investigation into coup d’état Fake credentials Before becoming the first lady of South Korea, Kim Keon Hee — born Kim Myeong-sin — was a businesswoman and lover of the arts. She graduated with a degree in art education from Sookmyung Women’s University in 1999, but faced repeated accusations of plagiarism during her time as a student — leading the university to revoke her degree last year after the research ethics committee found her thesis had problems. She never spoke out about these accusations. In 2009, Kim founded the art exhibition company Covana Contents, of which she is still CEO and president, but ten years later the South Korean press reported that she had allegedly evaded taxes and received bribes for hosting art exhibitions. Kim was cleared of these charges in 2023, but a prosecutor is re-examining the case. Ahead of the 2022 presidential election, which her husband won, allegations emerged that she had submitted applications to universities and companies containing false qualifications and awards, sparking a scandal. In response to these allegations, which some opposition members attempted to use as a political weapon against Yoon, Kim issued an apology for what he described as “exaggerations” on his resume. She further promised that if her husband became president, she would focus “exclusively on her role as wife.” But it was precisely his conduct in that role that generated some of the fiercest reactions. Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee Getty Images/BBC The handbag scandal In late 2023, hidden camera footage emerged that showed Kim receiving a luxury handbag from an individual in an office in Seoul. The case would have taken place in September 2022. The footage would have been taken by pastor Choi Jae-young with a camera on a watch, and the publication of the material intensified public scrutiny on Kim and Yoon. The video shows Choi walking to a store to buy the blue-gray calfskin bag, with a receipt indicating the cost of 3 million won. Choi then visits Covana Contents, a company in Seoul owned by the first lady, where she asks the pastor, “Why do you keep bringing me these things?” Under South Korean law, it is illegal for public officials and their spouses to receive gifts worth more than 1 million won at a time or anything that adds up to 3 million won within a fiscal year. Although the video does not show Kim accepting the gift, the Korea Herald reported at the time that the presidential office confirmed receipt of the bag and stated that it was “being stored as government property.” The presidential office did not immediately comment on the case, fueling the controversy as civic groups filed complaints with the prosecutor’s office citing possible violations of the anti-corruption law. This incident was one of 16 allegations investigated, 12 of which were referred to police for further investigation. Last month, prosecutors asked for a 15-year prison sentence and a 2 billion won fine, alleging that Kim “thought himself above the law” and had conspired with the Unification Church to undermine the “constitutional separation of religion and state.” Public disgrace Although Kim’s series of scandals cast a shadow over her husband’s presidential career, it was Yoon himself who sealed his fate as one of South Korea’s most disgraced former leaders. On January 16, Yoon was found guilty of abuse of power, forgery of documents and obstruction of justice for his failed attempt to impose martial law in the country the year before last. He was also sentenced to five years in prison. It was the first of the verdicts in four trials related to the martial law decree. The move triggered turmoil across the country, sparking protests as lawmakers rushed to the National Assembly to overturn Yoon’s decision. It was during a year-long investigation into Yoon’s failed attempt to impose martial law that prosecutors began looking into many of the allegations against Kim. Together, the couple form a historic duo: although South Korea has a history of indicted and imprisoned former presidents, Yoon and Kim represent the first time that both a former president and a former first lady have been incarcerated.

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