Ex-Korean president’s wife gets four-year sentence in bribery case

A South Korean appellate court has increased the prison sentence of former First Lady Kim Keon Hee to four years in a case involving stock manipulation and bribery, overturning an earlier ruling that had imposed a significantly shorter term.

Kim was initially sentenced in January to 20 months in prison. However, the appeals court revised the punishment, extending it to four years and imposing an additional fine of 50 million won (approximately $34,000), according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Prosecutors said Kim had generated profits of 810 million won (about $564,000) by manipulating the share price of a car dealership. She was also charged with violating regulations governing political campaign financing.

Her husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, was sentenced in January to five years in prison for obstructing arrest. He is currently facing a total of four separate legal proceedings.

By Tamilla Hasanova