According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on September 22, the Seoul High Court ruled in the second instance of the case involving former President Yoon Suk-yeol's wife, Kim Jian-hee, who allegedly accepted high-priced gifts using her position as presidential spouse. The court found that Kim Jian-hee committed the crime of accepting bribes by using her influence and sentenced her to 5 years in prison.
Meanwhile, the court ordered the confiscation of the original paintings by South Korean painter Lee Ufan, as well as items such as Van Cleef necklaces and brooches, and the recovery of an illegal profit of 24.4 million Korean won.
Previously, the first-instance court sentenced him to 7 years in prison and ordered the confiscation of items as well as the recovery of 64.8 million Korean won. It is reported that the sentence for the second-instance trial has been reduced compared to the first-instance judgment. The other conviction judgments remain unchanged, consistent with the results of the first-instance trial.
In terms of sentencing, the court severely criticized the defendant, saying: “This case is a typical example of abuse of power, where the defendant accepted bribes under the pretext of arranging matters related to his position.” The court added: “As the spouse of the president, the defendant failed to maintain his proper conduct and accepted bribes repeatedly without any restraint.”
