"김건희, 법 위에 서 있었다" 징역 15년·벌금 20억 구형Special counsel demands 15-yr prison term

[정승남세기영어교육연구회장]

"김건희, 법 위에 서 있었다" 징역 15년·벌금 20억 구형

(2nd LD) Special counsel demands 15-yr prison term for ex-first lady on corruption charges

특별 검사, 부패 혐의로 전 영부인에게 징역 15년 구형

주가조작·통일교 금품 수수 혐의

김건희 "억울한 점 많지만 반성"

Lee Haye-ah All News 19:40 December 03, 2025 Yonhap News

(ATTN: UPDATES with Kim's final statement, special counsel team's remarks)
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By Lee Haye-ah
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SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Yonhap) -- A special counsel team on Wednesday demanded a 15-year prison term for former first lady Kim Keon Hee on charges of corruption and bribery.
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Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team made the request during the final hearing of Kim's trial at the Seoul Central District Court, after indicting her in August on charges of violating the Capital Market Act, the Political Funds Act and a law on the acceptance of bribes for mediation.
The wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol is accused of conspiring with a former head of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, as well as a close associate, to manipulate the company's stock price and make 810 million won (US$552,670) in illegal profits between 2010 and 2012.
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Kim is also accused of receiving luxury gifts worth 80 million won from a Unification Church official in 2022, along with requests for business favors, through a
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For those charges, the special counsel team requested 11 years in prison, a fine of 2 billion won and a forfeit of some 811 million won.
Additionally, she is suspected of receiving free opinion polls worth 270 million won together with her husband from a self-proclaimed power broker ahead of the presidential election in 2022 in exchange for securing the nomination of former People Power Party Rep. Kim Young-sun for a parliamentary by-election later that year.
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The special counsel team demanded a four-year prison term, as well as a forfeit of 137 million won, for that charge.
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The court said the sentencing hearing will be held on Jan. 28.
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Former first lady Kim Keon Hee attends her corruption trial at the Seoul Central District Court in the capital on Dec. 3, 2025. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
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"All of the accomplices in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation crime have since stood trial, but only the defendant was an exception," a special counsel team member said during the sentencing recommendation.
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On the former first lady's alleged crimes tied to the Unification Church, he said, "She colluded with a religious group and destroyed the constitutional principle of separation of politics and religion, while bringing down the democratic foundation of election fairness and the national governance system of representative democracy."
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The special counsel team said its sentencing recommendation was based on her violations of constitutional values, her outright denial of the crimes and their bad nature.
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In her final statement, Kim apologized to the people for causing "great concern" but noted there was room for dispute in the charges against her.
"I feel I have been treated unfairly in many ways, but compared with my role and my qualifications, I feel I have done a lot of wrong," she said.
Kim has been held in custody since Aug. 12.
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Her husband is also jailed and being tried on insurrection charges over his failed attempt to impose martial law last December.
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hague@yna.co.kr

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Prosecutors Seek 15-Year Term for Former First Lady Kim Keon-hee

Special Counsel Accuses Kim of Abusing Presidential Spouse Status in Stock Manipulation, Bribery, and Election Interference

By Kim Eun-gyeong, Lee Min-jun Published 2025.12.04. 00:54 The Chosun Daily Newspaper / 조선일보
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The special prosecution team led by Min Joong-ki, investigating allegations related to former first lady Kim Keon-hee, on the 3rd requested a prison sentence of 15 years and a fine of 2 billion Korean won at Kim’s court of first instance. The sentencing is scheduled for January 28 of next year.
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On the 3rd morning, former first lady Kim Keon-hee attends the final hearing held at Seoul Central District Court. Wearing a white mask, she enters the courtroom supported by a prison guard. Mrs. Kim faces charges including stock price manipulation of Deutsch Motors, solicitation related to the Unification Church, and intervention in nominations. /Courtesy of Jang Kyung-sik
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The special counsel team, during the sentencing hearing for Kim held at the 27th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Woo In-sung) on that day, requested an 11-year prison term, a fine of 2 billion Korean won, and a confiscation of 811,440,000 Korean won for charges of stock price manipulation of Deutsch Motors (violation of the Capital Markets Act) and receiving money and goods from the Unification Church in exchange for requests (brokerage bribery). Additionally, they asked for a four-year prison term and a confiscation of 137,200,000 Korean won for the charge of receiving free public opinion survey results from Myung Tae-kyun, a "political broker" (violation of the Political Funds Act).
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Prior to the sentencing request, the special counsel team stated, "The defendant has stood above South Korea’s laws." They added, "Although the first lady has no official position or role, her symbolic significance is great, and responsibilities are required. However, the defendant abused her status as the spouse of the nation’s highest authority to pursue private interests, colluded with a religious organization to undermine the constitutional principle of separation of church and state, and collapsed the fairness of elections and the representative democratic system."
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Kim was indicted and detained by the special counsel in August on charges including participation in the manipulation of Deutsch Motors’ stock prices between 2010 and 2012. She is also accused of receiving free public opinion survey results worth 274,400,000 Korean won from Myung Tae-kyun around the time of the 2022 presidential election and, immediately after former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s election, accepting money and goods worth tens of millions of Korean won, including a Chanel bag, through Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman widely known as Geonjin, in exchange for addressing issues related to the Unification Church.
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Kim’s side denied all charges on that day. In her final statement, Kim said, "Although I have many grievances, I believe I made many mistakes in my role and position," adding, "What the special counsel says may be debatable, but I sincerely apologize and reflect on the fact that I caused great offense to the public due to my actions."
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The case concluded its arguments on that day is just one of several allegations surrounding Kim. In March 2023, Kim was indicted on charges of violating the Political Parties Act alongside Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja and others in connection with allegations that Unification Church followers collectively joined the People Power Party. She is also under special counsel investigation for suspicions of receiving various money and goods from businesspeople, including Lee Bong-gwan, chairman of Seohee Construction Co., and former National Education Committee Chairperson Lee Bae-yong under the guise of requests, as well as allegations of covering up school violence involving the child of former Presidential Protocol Secretary Kim Seung-hee.

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"김건희, 법 위에 서 있었다" 징역 15년·벌금 20억 구형

주가조작·통일교 금품 수수 혐의

김건희 "억울한 점 많지만 반성"

김은경 기자 이민준 기자 입력 2025.12.04. 00:54 조선일보

김건희 여사 관련 의혹을 수사하는 민중기 특별검사팀이 3일 김 여사의 1심 재판에서 징역 15년, 벌금 20억원을 구형했다. 선고는 내년 1월 28일 내려진다.

3일 오전 김건희 여사가 서울중앙지법에서 열린 결심 공판에 출석하고 있다. 흰 마스크를 착용한 그는 교도관의 부축을 받으며 법정에 들어섰다. 김 여사는 도이치모터스 주가 조작, 통일교 청탁, 공천 개입 등의 혐의를 받고 있다. /장경식 기자

특검팀은 이날 서울중앙지법 형사27부(재판장 우인성)에서 열린 김 여사의 결심 공판에서 도이치모터스 주가 조작(자본시장법 위반)과 통일교 측으로부터 청탁과 함께 금품을 받은 혐의(알선수재)에 대해 징역 11년에 벌금 20억원, 추징금 8억1144만여 원을 구형했다. 또 ‘정치 브로커’ 명태균씨로부터 무상으로 여론조사 결과를 받아본 혐의(정치자금법 위반)에 대해 징역 4년에 추징금 1억3720만원을 선고해달라고 요청했다.

구형에 앞서 특검팀은 “피고인은 그동안 대한민국 법 위에 서 있었다”고 했다. 그러면서 “영부인에게 공식 직책이나 역할은 없지만 상징성이 크고 책임이 요구된다”며 “그런데 피고인은 대한민국 최고 권력자 배우자 지위를 남용해 사적 이익을 추구하고 종교단체와 결탁해 헌법상 정교 분리 원칙을 무너뜨렸으며 선거의 공정성과 대의제 민주주의 시스템을 붕괴시켰다”고 했다.

김 여사는 2010~2012년 도이치모터스 주가 조작에 가담한 혐의 등으로 지난 8월 특검에 구속 기소됐다. 2022년 대선 전후 명태균씨에게서 2억7440만원 상당의 여론조사 결과를 무상으로 받고, 윤석열 전 대통령 당선 직후 통일교 현안을 들어주는 대가로 ‘건진 법사’ 전성배씨를 통해 샤넬백 등 8000만원대 금품을 받은 혐의도 있다.

김 여사 측은 이날 모든 혐의를 부인했다. 김 여사는 최후 진술에서 “저도 너무 억울한 점이 많지만 제 역할과 자리에서 잘못한 점이 많은 것 같다”며 “특검이 말하는 것은 다툴 여지가 있지만 어쨌든 저로 인해 국민들께 큰 실례를 끼친 점은 진심으로 죄송하고 반성한다”고 말했다.

이날 변론을 마친 사건은 김 여사를 둘러싼 여러 의혹 중 일부다. 김 여사는 2023년 3월 통일교 교인들의 국민의힘 집단 당원 가입 의혹과 관련해 한학자 통일교 총재 등과 함께 정당법 위반 혐의로 기소돼 재판을 앞두고 있다. 또 이봉관 서희건설 회장 등 사업가들과 이배용 전 국가교육위원장에게서 청탁 명목으로 각종 금품을 받은 의혹, 김승희 전 대통령실 의전비서관 자녀 학교폭력 무마 의혹 등으로도 특검 수사를 받고 있다.

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