Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party, was acquitted in a first-instance ruling on charges of violating the bribery law for allegedly giving a luxury bag to Kim Geon-hee in exchange for support during the party leadership election. However, Kim's spouse, identified as Lee, was found guilty of directly delivering the luxury bag and was sentenced to a fine.
The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 22, presided over by Judge Jo Hyung-woo, delivered the not guilty verdict for Kim Ki-hyun on October 30. Lee was fined 5 million won and ordered to forfeit the luxury bag given to Kim Geon-hee.
The case stemmed from allegations that the couple provided the luxury bag to Kim Geon-hee after receiving support from former President Yoon Suk-yeol during the 2023 People Power Party leadership election.
According to the investigation by the special prosecutor's team led by Min Jung-ki, Kim Ki-hyun was elected party leader on March 8, 2023, and on March 17, Lee delivered a Roger Vivier clutch bag valued at 2.67 million won to Kim Geon-hee. During a search of Kim Geon-hee's residence, investigators reportedly found the bag along with a letter from Lee.
Following further investigation, the special prosecutor's office determined that the payment for the bag was made from Kim Ki-hyun's official salary account, leading to charges that the couple provided a gift with the expectation of a favor related to presidential duties.
In last month's closing arguments, the prosecution sought a one-year prison sentence for Kim Ki-hyun and six months for Lee.
The court acknowledged Lee's violation of the bribery law for delivering the bag to Kim Geon-hee, stating, "Lee provided the luxury bag to express gratitude for the assistance received from the president during her husband's party leadership campaign. Since the president holds a significant role that can influence the party leadership election, this constitutes a violation of the bribery law."
The court further noted, "Considering the high standards of integrity expected from a president, the offense is not minor," rejecting Lee's argument that the gift was merely a social courtesy.
Conversely, the court found insufficient evidence to convict Kim Ki-hyun of collusion in the delivery of the bag. It stated, "While it is possible to infer that Kim Ki-hyun may have been involved in the delivery, there is no objective evidence directly acknowledging collusion or delivery, nor does it appear in the testimonies of related parties. It cannot be ruled out that Lee delivered the bag directly through staff without her husband's involvement."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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