NewKerala.com

South Korea's Ex-First Lady Faces 15 Years: A Shocking Corruption Trial

A special counsel team has demanded a hefty 15-year prison sentence for South Korea's former first lady. Kim Keon Hee faces serious charges including stock manipulation and accepting bribes. The allegations involve illegal stock profits and receiving luxury gifts from a religious group. The court will deliver its final verdict on her fate later in January.

Key Points: Prosecutors Seek 15-Year Prison Term for Ex-First Lady Kim Keon Hee

  • Prosecutors seek 11 years for stock price manipulation and illegal profits of 810 million won
  • Also demand 4 years for bribery involving free election polls and luxury gifts
  • Kim is accused of conspiring with a BMW dealer executive to manipulate stock prices
  • She has been held in custody since August while her husband faces separate insurrection charges
2 min read

South Korea: Special counsel demands 15-year prison term for ex-first lady

Special counsel demands 15-year sentence for former first lady Kim Keon Hee on stock manipulation and bribery charges. Verdict due in January.

"The special counsel team requested 11 years in prison, a fine of 2 billion won and a forfeit of some 811 million won. - Yonhap News Agency"

Seoul, Dec 3

A special counsel team on Wednesday demanded a 15-year prison term for former first lady Kim Keon Hee on charges of corruption and bribery.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team made the request during the final hearing of Kim's trial at the Seoul Central District Court, after indicting her in August on charges of violating the Capital Market Act, the Political Funds Act and a law on the acceptance of bribes for mediation, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol is accused of conspiring with a former head of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, as well as a close associate, to manipulate the company's stock price and make 810 million won (US$552,670) in illegal profits between 2010 and 2012.

For that charge, the special counsel team requested 11 years in prison, a fine of 2 billion won and a forfeit of some 811 million won.

Kim is also accused of receiving free opinion polls worth 270 million won together with her husband from a self-proclaimed power broker ahead of the presidential election in 2022 in exchange for securing the nomination of former People Power Party Rep. Kim Young-sun for a parliamentary by-election later that year.

Additionally, she is suspected of receiving luxury gifts worth 80 million won from the Unification Church through a shaman in exchange for business favours in 2022.

The special counsel team demanded a four-year prison term, as well as a forfeit of 137 million won, for the bribery charge. The court said the sentencing hearing will be held on January 28. Kim has been held in custody since August 12. Her husband is also jailed and being tried on insurrection charges over his failed attempt to impose martial law last December.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Wow, 15 years is a serious demand. The charges are heavy - stock manipulation, bribery, luxury gifts... It shows how power can corrupt absolutely. Hope justice is served.
R
Rohit P
Both husband and wife in jail? Their whole administration seems to have been involved in serious wrongdoing. Makes you appreciate the peaceful transitions of power we have here, despite all the political drama.
S
Sarah B
The involvement of a shaman and the Unification Church is such a bizarre detail. It reads like a political thriller. Goes to show that corruption can take many strange forms across the world.
V
Vikram M
While it's good to see accountability, I hope the process is fair and not politically motivated. Sometimes these cases are used to settle scores after a regime change. The court must decide based purely on evidence.
K
Kavya N
Free opinion polls worth 270 million won? That's a new one. The creativity in corruption never ceases to amaze. Public servants should serve the public, not their own pockets. 🙏

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50