A court in South Korea has sentenced former First Lady Kim Gong-hee to one year and eight months in prison for corruption charges, with the verdict aired on January 28.
The court found Kim Gong-hee guilty of violating anti-corruption legislation through the receipt of expensive gifts but acquitted her on two other counts. Prosecutors alleged she manipulated car dealer securities to generate a profit of 810 million won ($564,000). The court determined she was not guilty on this charge.
Additionally, prosecutors charged Kim Gong-hee with campaign finance violations for conducting free opinion polls in favor of her husband, former South Korean President Yoon Seok-young, ahead of elections. The court found no evidence to support this allegation.
Kim Gong-hee was convicted on one count related to receiving two handbags and a necklace from the Unification Church valued at 80 million won ($56,000). In addition to her prison sentence, she will be fined 12.8 million won ($8,900), and the items will be confiscated.
