Kim Geon-hee, the wife of South Korea's president, was sentenced to seven years in prison on June 26 for accepting bribes from influential figures in exchange for favors. Following the verdict, her legal team expressed intentions to appeal, stating that there are substantial grounds to contest the ruling both legally and factually.
The Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Jo Soon-pyo, delivered the sentence for charges related to the Special Act on the Prevention of Corruption.
After the hearing, attorney Chae Myung-sung, representing Kim, remarked, "The court may have overly interpreted aspects such as 'favorable gifts' and the 'scope of the requests.' There were both favorable and unfavorable circumstances, but it seems the unfavorable ones were emphasized against us. We plan to review the judgment and file an appeal."
Chae also noted, "While the court referred to this as 'corruption,' when examining the five key issues of the case, there is no evidence that Kim provided specific positions in exchange for favors. It is difficult to connect this to corruption."
Despite the conviction, Chae emphasized that Kim has consistently reflected on her actions, acknowledging that she acted imprudently by accepting gifts in her capacity as First Lady.
Another attorney, Choi Ji-woo, commented, "The maximum sentence for this case is seven years and six months, and such a lengthy sentence is unprecedented. I believe this is an excessive ruling. There should be no special treatment due to her status as First Lady." He added, "Ultimately, justice will prevail. We will correct any wrongs."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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