Kim's conviction follows months of investigations into alleged corruption involving the former first lady and senior officials who served under her husband's administration.
South Korea's former First Lady, Kim Keon Hee, has been sentenced to seven years in prison after a Seoul court found her guilty of bribery, marking another dramatic chapter in the country's prolonged political crisis that has already brought down the administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The ruling, delivered on Friday, comes less than a year after prosecutors formally charged Kim with multiple offences, including bribery, violations of financial market laws and political funding regulations, according to US News.
Kim's conviction follows months of investigations into alleged corruption involving the former first lady and senior officials who served under her husband's administration.
In August 2025, a team led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki announced that Kim had been indicted on charges of violating financial market and political funding laws, as well as receiving bribes. The charges were filed about two weeks after a court ordered her arrest.
