▲ Jeon Seong-bae, a jailed shaman better known as Geonjin, is taken to the office of special counsel Ann Gweon-seob in Seoul in this Jan. 19, 2026, file photo. (Yonhap)

appeals court-shaman

Appeals court cuts prison term for shaman linked to ex-first lady to 5 yrs

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- An appeals court on Thursday reduced the prison sentence for a shaman known for his close ties to former first lady Kim Keon Hee from six years to five years over charges of accepting bribes from the Unification Church.

The Seoul High Court handed down the reduced term to Jeon Seong-bae, better known as Geonjin, for accepting 80 million won (US$53,000) worth of luxury goods from a former Unification Church official in 2022 by colluding with Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, and other offenses.

In February, the Seoul Central District Court handed down a six-year sentence to Jeon for accepting the bribes and ordered him to forfeit 180 million won.

The appeals court found Jeon guilty on most charges, including colluding with the former first lady to accept a Graff diamond necklace and Chanel bags, and ordered the forfeiture of the same amount.

The court said the Chanel bags gifted to Kim were "not simple bags but compensation for an implicit favor."

The court, however, said it reduced the prison term in consideration of Jeon's admission to some of the charges during the trial and his voluntary submission of key evidence to a special counsel team.

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