South Korean court extends prison sentence for wife of ousted president

Key Points:

• An appeals court in Seoul increased the sentence for Kim Keon Hee, wife of ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, to four years for corruption related to receiving gifts from the Unification Church, including Chanel bags and a diamond necklace.
• Kim was also convicted on charges of involvement in stock price manipulation, reversing her earlier acquittal on this charge, while she remains uninvolved in Yoon's martial law enforcement controversies.
• The court emphasized the high expectations for integrity from a first lady, noting Kim exploited her status to obtain gifts, and her lawyers plan to appeal to the Supreme Court.
• Kim has been in jail since August due to concerns she might destroy evidence, and her conviction follows a series of scandals that damaged Yoon's administration and approval ratings.
• Yoon was impeached and removed from office after imposing martial law in December 2024, an action widely condemned and reversed, and he now faces multiple criminal trials related to this and other scandals.