From Bribery to Trafficking: Global Scandals Grip Headlines

Kim Keon Hee, the wife of South Korea's ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol, was sentenced to 20 months in jail for corruption, according to BBC World and The Guardian. The former first lady was found guilty of accepting bribes from the controversial Unification Church.

The Seoul court had previously approved a warrant for Kim's arrest in August, citing the possibility she could destroy evidence, The Guardian reported. In addition to the jail sentence, Kim was ordered to return a diamond necklace and pay back 12.85 million won, according to BBC World.

However, the court cleared the 52-year-old Kim on charges of stock price manipulation and receiving free opinion polls from a political broker before the 2022 presidential election, which her husband Yoon Suk Yeol won, BBC World noted.

Yoon Suk Yeol has already been sentenced to five years in jail for abusing power and obstructing justice in relation to his failed martial law bid in 2024, BBC World reported. Furthermore, Yoon awaits a verdict on a high-stakes rebellion charge that could result in the death penalty or life imprisonment, according to The Guardian.

This marks the first time in South Korea's history that a former president's wife has been jailed. Kim has been in jail since August, when the Seoul court approved a warrant to arrest her, citing the chance she could destroy evidence.