April 28, 2026 at – 2:16 p.m.
SEOUL. Former South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee will go to prison for luxury handbag scandal. Also known as “DiorGate,” the case also shook the presidency of her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, who was later dismissed for another case.
The South Korean justice system convicted the former first lady on appeal Kim Keon Hee to four years in prison for stock market manipulation and corruption, scandals that had tarnished her husband’s presidency, Yoon Suk Yeolwho is imprisoned for insurrection.
The former first lady, 53, had been sentenced in the first instance in January to 20 months in prison for corruption, after accepting luxury gifts from the Moon sectbut had been acquitted of other charges, including accusations of price manipulation.
Read more: For a case over luxury handbags, the former first lady of South Korea will go to prison
This was revoked this Tuesday by the Seoul Court of Appealwhich significantly aggravated his sentence.
Prison and payment of fines
“The court sentences the defendant to four years in prison and imposes a fine of 50 million won,” the Court of Appeal declared in a decision broadcast live on television.
With the lower part of his face covered by a white mask, Kim Keon Hee He kept his head down as he heard the verdict.
The court found her guilty of having manipulated the price of Deutsch Motors shares, calling this act a “collusive transaction (…) constituting market manipulation.” He also added that the former first lady “had not acknowledged her guilt and, on the contrary, had constantly resorted to excuses.”
luxury bags
Her conviction for corruption came after she accepted two Chanel bags and a Graff necklace from the Unification Churchalso known as Moon sect.
Due to these bribes, “public confidence in the transparency of State affairs and in the fair conduct of national politics was shaken,” the court concluded.
Likewise, he stated that he had taken into account Kim’s lack of criminal record to determine his sentence.
The former first lady’s lawyers told AFP that they will appeal the verdict to the Supreme Court.
