In a stunning fall from grace that has shaken the foundations of South Korea's elite, former First Lady Kim Keon Hee has been sentenced to 20 months in prison. A Seoul court found her guilty of accepting lavish bribes, including a Dior handbag and a diamond necklace, in a scandal that has come to symbolize the rot at the heart of the nation's political establishment.

The 52-year-old, once a glamorous fixture on the diplomatic circuit, stood impassive as Judge Woo In-sung delivered the verdict. The court ruled that Kim had "misused her position for personal gain," accepting gifts totaling over 80 million won ($56,000) from the controversial Unification Church in exchange for political favors. "The higher the position, the strictly one must guard against corruption," the judge declared. "The defendant was preoccupied with self-adornment and failed to reject illicit solicitations."

A Couple Behind Bars

The sentence cements a grim historical milestone: it is the first time in South Korean history that a former presidential couple has been incarcerated simultaneously. Her husband, ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, is already serving a five-year term for abuse of power related to his failed martial law decree in 2024.

• The "Dior Bag" Scandal: The case hinged on spy-cam footage released in 2023, which showed Kim accepting a luxury handbag from a pastor. While initially dismissed by the then-president as a "political setup," the evidence of a broader pattern of bribery proved damning.
• The Acquittal: In a partial victory for her defense, the court acquitted Kim on separate charges of stock price manipulation involving Deutsch Motors, citing insufficient evidence to prove she directly directed the trades.

The "Shaman" Influence

The trial also reignited public anger over the Unification Church's alleged influence on state affairs. Prosecutors painted a picture of a First Lady who acted as a gatekeeper, granting access to religious figures in exchange for luxury goods. "She treated the Blue House like a personal boutique," remarked one prosecutor during closing arguments.

As Kim was led away, she offered a brief, contrite statement: "I humbly accept the court's admonition." But for a South Korean public weary of corruption scandals, the apology rings hollow. The imprisonment of the "power couple" marks the definitive end of a tumultuous political era, serving as a stark warning to their successors: in Seoul, no one is above the law.