Kim Geon-hee Appeals 7-Year Sentence for Bribery Charges

Kim Geon-hee, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for accepting bribes from influential figures in exchange for favors, has filed an appeal.

On July 1, her legal team submitted an appeal to the Seoul Central District Court, which had presided over her case. They believe there are grounds to contest the findings of factual errors, legal misunderstandings, and disproportionate sentencing.

The court had previously found Kim guilty of all charges on June 26. She was accused of receiving gifts, including necklaces and earrings, under the pretense of facilitating personnel and business favors before and after the inauguration of President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Specifically, between March and May 2022, she allegedly accepted gifts worth 103.8 million won (approximately $78,000) from Lee Bong-kwan, chairman of Seohui Construction, in exchange for a personnel request regarding her son-in-law, Park Seong-keun, a former chief of staff to the Prime Minister.

Additionally, she is accused of receiving a gold turtle worth 2.65 million won and a Vacheron Constantin watch valued at 39.9 million won from Lee Bae-yong, former chair of the National Education Commission, under the guise of appointment requests and support for a robot dog project, respectively.

She also allegedly received gifts worth 5.4 million won from Pastor Choi Jae-young in connection with presidential duties and accepted a work of art from artist Lee Ufan in exchange for a request related to the People Power Party's nominations.

The court noted, "As the spouse of the president, she holds a position that can significantly influence the overall governance of the country. She should have exercised self-restraint regarding various requests and interests but failed to fulfill that obligation."

After the first trial, Kim's attorney stated outside the courtroom, "The court excessively interpreted the legal aspects in constructing its guilty rationale. We plan to review the verdict and file an appeal."