A South Korean court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon-hee to one year and eight months in prison on Wednesday for corruption but acquitted her for alleged stock manipulation and other charges.
The ruling marked the first time that both members of a presidential couple were convicted of crimes in South Korea.
Her husband, former president Yoon Suk-yeol, was handed a five-year jail term earlier this month after being found guilty of multiple charges, including attempts to block his arrest following his botched 2024 martial law decree.
Yoon, 65, separately faces either life imprisonment or the death penalty in another case.
Kim, 53, was at the centre of a string of influence-peddling and bribery scandals throughout Yoon’s presidency, which was cut short to less than three years after his failed self-coup attempt led to his impeachment and removal from office.
Kim was arrested and indicted in August last year on charges of manipulating stocks of Deutsche Motors between 2010 and 2012, allegedly reaping around 810 million won (US$565,524) in illegal profits. But a judge on Wednesday cleared her of any wrongdoing in the case.
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South Korea’s Yoon sentenced to 5 years in first of martial law trials
South Korea’s Yoon sentenced to 5 years in first of martial law trials
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