SEOUL - A South Korean judge handed the country's former first lady Kim Keon Hee 20 months in jail for corruption on Wednesday but acquitted her for alleged stock manipulation and other charges.
Controversy has long surrounded 53-year-old Kim and accusations of corruption, influence peddling and even academic fraud dominated her husband Yoon Suk Yeol's time in office.
Both are now in custody, Yoon for actions taken during his disastrous declaration of martial law in December 2024 and its chaotic aftermath, and Kim for alleged stock manipulation and receiving gifts from the cult-like Unification Church.
She was also accused of accepting lavish bribes from businesses and politicians totalling more than $200,000, including two Chanel bags and a Graff necklace from the leader of that sect.
On Wednesday, Judge Woo In-sung of the Seoul Central District Court found her guilty of corruption and sentenced her to 20 months in prison.
She was however found not guilty of stock manipulation and violations of South Korea's campaign financing laws.
Kim sat in the court as the sentence was read out, wearing a black suit, a white face mask and glasses.
Prosecutors in December said Kim had "stood above the law" and colluded with the Unification Church to undermine "the constitutionally mandated separation of religion and state".
Prosecutor Min Joong-ki also said South Korea's institutions were "severely undermined by abuses of power" committed by Kim.
She has also been accused of meddling in parliamentary elections.
The former first lady has denied all the charges, claiming the allegations were "deeply unjust" in her final testimony last month.
But she has also apologised for "causing trouble despite being a person of no importance".
"When I consider my role and the responsibilities entrusted to me, it seems clear that I have made many mistakes," she said in December.
By Claire Lee