First Lady Kim Keon-hee's Appeal Case Assigned to Justice Park Young-jae at Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has officially assigned First Lady Kim Keon-hee's appeal case, concerning charges of stock manipulation and illicit dealings with the Unification Church, to the Second Division, with Justice Park Young-jae designated as the presiding judge. This move signals the commencement of a full judicial review, with a final ruling anticipated in late July or early August.

The Second Division, comprising Justices Oh Kyung-mi, Kwon Young-jun, Uhm Sang-pil, and Park Young-jae, will now deliberate on the case. Justice Park Young-jae's appointment is notable, as he also presided over a case involving President Lee Jae-myung during his presidential campaign last year. Park had previously resigned from his administrative post in protest but later returned to the judiciary.

Under the "Kim Keon-hee Special Prosecutor Act," which mandates a conclusion within three months of the appeal, the final verdict is expected to be delivered within the specified timeframe. The Seoul High Court had previously sentenced Kim to four years in prison and a fine of 50 million won, along with a forfeiture of 20.94 million won. This sentence was an increase from the first trial, where she received a one-year suspended sentence, as some stock manipulation charges were found to be valid in the second instance.

Kim Keon-hee is accused of various offenses, including participating in stock manipulation for Deutsch Motors between 2010 and 2012. She also faces charges of conspiring with former presidential aide Jeon Sung-bae to receive bribes from the Unification Church for favors between April and July 2022. Additionally, she is accused of receiving free polling data from an individual named Myung Tae-gyun and interfering with the People Power Party's nomination process between June 2021 and March 2022.

While the second trial found Kim guilty of some stock manipulation charges and receiving funds from the Unification Church, the charges related to receiving free polling data were dismissed in both the first and second trials. Kim's legal team submitted an appeal shortly after the second trial's verdict, and the special prosecutor's team also filed an appeal.