South Korea’s highest court has upheld a seven-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol in a case covering obstruction and other crimes tied to his December 2024 martial law declaration, dismissing all appeals and stating the lower court’s judgment “contained no errors.” The Supreme Court ruling covers charges including obstructing cabinet deliberations, forged signatures and blocking his own arrest.
Yoon’s lawyers said they would challenge the ruling before the Constitutional Court, arguing the case should have been heard by the Supreme Court’s full bench rather than the four-justice panel that decided it, and that the shortened review process violated his right to a fair trial. Prosecutors, who had sought a 10-year sentence, said they would focus their efforts on his remaining trials tied to the insurrection case.
Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, has faced her own mounting legal troubles. On June 26, 2026, a Seoul court sentenced her to seven years in prison after finding her guilty on every bribery-related charge, determining she accepted luxury gifts worth approximately 300 million won (roughly $195,000) in exchange for using her influence to facilitate government job appointments and provide business advantages.
Prison Terms Pile Up for Former First Lady
The seven-year sentence represents the latest and most severe blow in Kim’s legal saga. In April 2026, an appeals court had already sentenced her to four years in prison for stock manipulation and for accepting bribes from South Korea’s Unification Church, including a luxury bag. She was serving that sentence when the bribery conviction was handed down.
The Seoul Central District Court rejected her defense team’s central arguments, which maintained that she either never received the gifts or that no quid pro quo connected them to any specific favors. Prosecutors had requested seven years and six months in prison, while Kim denied all charges in that case.
Harsh Verdict for Presidential Consort
The three-justice bench delivered a harsh assessment of Kim, ruling that she continued to accept high-end presents while using her position of power as a commodity for exchange, thereby falling short of the duties expected of a presidential consort. Wearing a gray suit and a white face mask, Kim sat quietly as the lead judge delivered the verdict.
Her legal team swiftly announced plans to review the ruling and decide whether to appeal the conviction.
Associates Also Sentenced in Separate Case
The Supreme Court also confirmed prison sentences for shaman Jeon Seong-bae (five years plus 180 million won forfeit) and former Unification Church official Yun Young-ho (1½ years) in a bribery case linked to Kim Keon Hee. Jeon was convicted of accepting 80 million won worth of goods from Yun while Yun delivered luxury items to Kim through Jeon in 2022.
The Unification Church has maintained that its gifts to Kim were offered without any expectation of reciprocal action. Its leader, Han Hak-ja, who is herself on trial, has denied directing the church to bribe Kim.
Broader Collapse of Yoon Administration
The parallel legal troubles unfold against the broader collapse of the Yoon administration. Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted from power last year following an impeachment that resulted from his brief and chaotic attempt to impose martial law in December 2024. That episode set off a cascade of criminal investigations that have ensnared both him and Kim in separate proceedings.
Yoon was sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 19, 2026, for masterminding the insurrection tied to his martial law declaration, and received an additional 30-year sentence for drone provocations over North Korea.
The ruling can be appealed by either the former first lady or prosecutors, meaning the final outcome of her sentence will likely remain unsettled for some time. What is clear, however, is that the legal walls around the former first lady are closing in from multiple directions at once, with no resolution in sight.