A Seoul court has doubled the sentence handed down to South Korea's former first lady in a corruption case

The Seoul High Court has more than doubled the prison sentence for former First Lady Kim Kyung-hee in a corruption case.

This was reported by Yonhap News.

The court ruled to increase the sentence from 20 months to four years in prison. Kim Kyung-hee had previously been found guilty of involvement in stock price manipulation, as well as accepting expensive gifts from representatives of a religious organization.

During the trial, Special Prosecutor Min Jun-ki’s team had sought a much harsher sentence—15 years in prison.

This case, linked to the tenure of her husband—former President Yoon Suk-yeol—has sparked widespread public attention in the country.

As a reminder, in South Korea, prosecutors are seeking a 30-year prison sentence for the former president. He is accused of attempting to provoke a conflict with North Korea by launching military drones. Investigators believe this could have been part of a plan to declare martial law.

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was sentenced last week to life in prison for attempting a coup d’état in December 2024, has filed an appeal against the verdict with a higher court.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to life in prison in the case regarding the imposition of martial law in the country in December 2024. He was found guilty of insurrection.

Prior to this, the South Korean prosecution brought additional charges against former President Yoon Suk-yeol. He is suspected of abuse of power and aiding a hostile state, specifically North Korea.

As a reminder, on December 14, the South Korean parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol following his attempt on December 3 to impose martial law in the country, allegedly due to the opposition’s ties to North Korea. In total, the martial law declared by President Yoon lasted several hours.