Judge Shin Jong-o had raised Kim Keon-hee’s sentence to four years in prison, up from the 20 months handed to her by the lower court in January
A monitor at Seoul Station shows a breaking news report on April 28, 2026, about former first lady Kim Keon-hee’s sentencing in her trial on corruption charges involving receipt of valuables from the Unification Church, manipulating stock prices, and receiving gratis polling from Myung Tae-kyun. The appellate court sentenced her to four years in prison and a fine of 50 million won. (Yonhap)
The judge who presided over the appeals trial of Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon-hee on corruption charges was found dead on Wednesday, according to sources.Sources with the judiciary and the police told the Hankyoreh on Wednesday that Judge Shin Jong-o’s body was found on the grounds of the Seoul High Court at 1 am that day.As the presiding judge in Kim’s appeals trial at the Seoul High Court, Shin had on April 28 sentenced the former first lady to four years in prison and fined her 50 million won. In convicting Kim of stock manipulation and accepting bribes in the form of accepting a Chanel handbag, Shin overturned the lower court’s acquittals on those charges and raised her sentence. After passing Korea’s 37th bar exam in 1995, Shin began his career in the judiciary at the Uijeongbu branch of the Seoul District Court in 2001. He had assumed his position at the Seoul High Court this past February after previous appointments at the Ulsan District Court, the Daegu High Court and the Cheongju branch of the Daejeon High Court.By Chung In-seon, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
