South Korea's former first lady just picked up a second prison term—and this one involves a robot dog deal. A Seoul court on Friday sentenced Kim Keon Hee, wife of ousted ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, to seven years in prison for taking luxury gifts in return for political favors. Judges found she accepted items including a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, a Tiffany brooch, Graff earrings, a gold turtle, a Dior handbag, a Vacheron Constantin watch, and an expensive painting, reports Reuters. In return, she allegedly used her influence to help secure government and parliamentary posts and other benefits.
Among the benefactors, the court said, were a construction boss seeking a post for his son-in-law, a pastor wanting access to top officials, a former university chief, and the CEO of a robotic dog retailer aiming to supply machines to the presidential security service. "Given the nature of the position, a president's spouse must exercise the highest degree of self-restraint and vigilance," said Judge Jo Soon-pyo, per the AP. "Nevertheless, defendant Kim Keon Hee neglected that social responsibility and repeatedly accepted valuables by exploiting her influence as a means of brokering favors."
The court also imposed a fine of around $42,000 and ordered the confiscation of the gifts, if they can be located. Kim, who admitted accepting the luxury items but denied they were linked to political favors, plans to appeal. She is already serving four years for stock manipulation and a separate bribery case involving South Korea's Unification Church. Yoon was sentenced to life in February for orchestrating an insurrection linked to his brief imposition of martial law in 2024. He was sentenced to another 30 years earlier this month over a plot involving drones sent to North Korea.
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