Kim Keon-hee was found guilty of abusing her position for personal gain. This was stated by Judge Woo In-sun of the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday. He noted that "the higher a person's status, the more carefully they must monitor their behavior" and that Kim did not decline offers of assistance, wishing to improve her own situation.
A special team investigating the case established that from April to July 2022, Kim received gifts worth 80 million won from the Unification Church, including a diamond necklace and several Chanel bags, in exchange for political and business privileges.
The prosecution demanded 15 years in prison and a fine of 2 billion won on three counts, of which Kim was found guilty on one. However, the judge noted that she did not extort bribes and had no significant criminal record.
Kim was ordered to return 12.85 million won (about 9,000 USD) and to forfeit the diamond necklace. There are also allegations of her possible involvement in schemes to recruit members of the Unification Church into the conservative People Power Party, to which her husband belonged. These cases have not yet been heard by the court.
Kim rejected all accusations, stating that they are "deeply unfair," while acknowledging that she received Chanel bags, which she then returned without using. Last August, she issued a public apology, saying she was very sorry that "such an unknown person as herself caused concern to people."
The investigation also led to the arrest of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja. In addition to criminal cases, Kim faced other scandals; last year, Sookmyung Women's University revoked her diploma in art education after discovering plagiarism in her master's thesis.
