▲ Former first lady Kim Keon Hee (2nd from R) speaks to her lawyer during her trial at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, in this file photo taken Dec. 3, 2025. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

ex-first lady-appeals trial

Appeals court set to hold final hearing of ex-first lady's corruption trial

By Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- An appeals court is set to hold the final hearing Wednesday of former first lady Kim Keon Hee's trial on multiple charges, including her acceptance of luxury goods from the Unification Church.

The Seoul High Court will wrap up the trial's proceedings that began after both Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and special counsel Min Joong-ki appealed a lower court's sentence of a 20-month prison term.

The sentence fell far short of a 15-year term sought by Min's team.

In January, the Seoul Central District Court convicted Kim of accepting a Chanel bag and a Graff diamond necklace, along with business favors from the Unification Church in 2022.

The court, however, acquitted Kim of two other main charges -- involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme and violating the Political Funds Act for accepting free opinion polls, along with her husband.

While the court recognized that Kim may have been aware of the stock price manipulation, it said that she could not be seen as an accomplice. It also determined that Kim and her husband could not have financially benefited from the opinion polls.

During the final hearing, the appellate bench is expected to hear Kim's final statement and decide on the trial's sentencing date.

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