Kim Geon-hee has been sentenced to seven years in prison for her involvement in the so-called "Mae-gwan-mae-jik" bribery scandal, where she allegedly accepted expensive gifts, including luxury watches and artworks, in exchange for favors related to public personnel decisions and business advantages. The court found that Kim, as the spouse of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, held significant influence and repeatedly accepted bribes.
On June 26, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 21, led by Judge Cho Soon-pyo, sentenced Kim to seven years in prison for charges including intermediary bribery under the Special Act. The court ordered the confiscation of seized items, including a painting by Lee Ufan, a Vacheron Constantin watch, a gold turtle, a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, and a Dior bag, and imposed a fine of 64.8 million won.
Lee Bong-kwan, chairman of Seohee Construction, who was also indicted for providing bribes to Kim, received a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years. Businessman Seo Seong-bin was sentenced to ten months in prison, also suspended for two years, while Pastor Choi Jae-young was fined 8 million won.
The court acknowledged all charges against Kim as guilty, stating, "The defendant held a position that could significantly influence the overall governance of the country as the spouse of the president. She should have exercised self-restraint and been particularly vigilant regarding various requests and interests, but she failed to fulfill that obligation."
The court criticized Kim for using her influence as a means to solicit repeated bribes, stating, "Public decision-making, which should be conducted fairly and transparently, was reduced to a transaction for personal gain, fundamentally undermining integrity and trust beyond mere bribery."
Kim was charged with receiving gifts worth 103.8 million won, including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and earrings, from Lee Bong-kwan between March and May 2022, under the pretext of requesting business advantages and personnel favors for her son-in-law, Park Seong-geun, who was the former chief of staff to the prime minister.
She was also accused of receiving a gold turtle and a replica of a traditional Korean painting worth 2.65 million won from former National Education Commission Chairman Lee Bae-yong between April and June of the same year. In September, she allegedly accepted a Vacheron Constantin watch valued at 39.9 million won from Seo Seong-bin under the pretext of requesting support for a robot dog business.
The court found Kim guilty of receiving gifts worth 5.4 million won, including Chanel perfume, cosmetics, alcohol, and a Dior bag, from Pastor Choi between June and September 2022, in connection with requests related to presidential duties. In February 2023, she was also found guilty of accepting a work of art by Lee Ufan worth 140 million won from former prosecutor Kim Sang-min in exchange for a request for nominations from the People Power Party.
The court noted that the structure of requests was not limited to specific individuals or groups, as various figures from different sectors, including a mid-sized construction company chairman, businessmen, a Korean-American pastor, a current prosecutor, and an educator with a university president background, approached Kim with their respective requests related to government contracts, personnel, and nominations. It also observed that an informal request structure had been widely established.
Kim's defense argued during the trial that she had not received any gifts or that they were not received under specific requests. However, the court rejected these claims, stating, "The argument that it was merely a purchase agency or temporary storage was merely an excuse to evade legal responsibility."
The court particularly highlighted that the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace was discovered during a special investigation search at the residence of Kim's brother-in-law, indicating attempts to conceal evidence. The court remarked, "Despite the clear evidence presented during the trial, she justified her actions, showing little sign of genuine remorse."
In determining the sentence, the court took into account that Kim had returned some of the gifts and deposited 22.1 million won. However, it concluded that the circumstances of the return and the timing of the deposit did not warrant a significantly favorable consideration.
Lee Bong-kwan's voluntary confession to the special investigation team and his return of a brooch were also considered mitigating factors. Given the nature of power-related intermediary bribery, the potential for concealment of the crime even after the introduction of the special investigation law was acknowledged, making Lee's confession instrumental in clarifying the allegations.
The court deemed Seo Seong-bin's provision of the expensive watch as a serious offense but considered that he did not directly gain from the requests, which was a mitigating factor. Regarding Pastor Choi's provision of the Dior bag, the court noted that while there was some investigative journalism involved, it could not be entirely evaluated as merely a journalistic act. The court concluded that Choi chose to provide gifts to request information and convey his interests.
The Kim Geon-hee special investigation team, led by Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki, had sought a sentence of seven years and six months during the closing arguments last month. In her final statement, Kim expressed, "I deeply regret my careless conduct," but also claimed that her past actions had been distorted, branding her as a notorious villain. She stated, "I sincerely apologize to the public and will humbly accept the court's judgment."
Kim is also facing charges related to allegations of receiving bribes from the Unification Church and was recently sentenced to four years in prison in a separate appeal. That case is currently under review by the Supreme Court.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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