A Seoul appeals court on Tuesday boosted former first lady Kim Keon Hee's prison term to four years, finding she accepted luxury gifts from the Unification Church and was guilty of stock price manipulation. The ruling reversed parts of a lower court's 20-month verdict. Kim has been jailed since August and her lawyers said they will appeal to the Supreme Court.

Court ruling and charges The Seoul High Court expanded Kim Keon Hee's punishment after reviewing appeals by both the prosecution and the defense. - January district court: sentenced Kim to 20 months for receiving high-end items, including a Graff diamond necklace and a Chanel bag, from the Unification Church. - Appeals court action: overturned part of an earlier acquittal, finding Kim guilty of taking another Chanel bag and guilty on a stock price manipulation charge. - Judges' reasoning: the court said a first lady represents the nation alongside the president, holds substantial influence, and that Kim used her status to secure gifts, falling short of public expectations for integrity. Kim's lawyers said they will take the case to the Supreme Court. Independent counsel Min Joong-ki had sought a 15-year term, while prosecutors framed the gifts as part of attempts to gain political access. When the charges became criminal Kim has been in custody since August, after the Seoul Central District Court approved an arrest warrant citing a risk she might destroy evidence. Prosecutors say the Unification Church offered luxury items in hopes of gaining influence with Yoon's administration. The arrests and charges came amid a string of scandals that reduced Yoon's popularity while he was in office. Background: the martial law episode and Yoon's fall The rulings sit within a broader political crisis that began when Yoon abruptly declared martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, deploying troops and police to the National Assembly. Lawmakers forced him to lift the order and later impeached and removed him. In February a Seoul district court found Yoon guilty of rebellion for mobilizing security forces; prosecutors say Kim was not involved in enforcement of martial law but was implicated in separate graft and market-manipulation allegations. Political and institutional consequences The convictions deepen the legal exposure of a former presidential household that once had significant sway over conservative politics. Both the sentences and the ongoing trials remove the couple, at least temporarily, from active political life, a shift that matters for internal party dynamics.

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Kim, held since August, faces a Supreme Court appeal from her lawyers.

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