"'NATO 3-Piece Set' Received, Involved in Personnel Appointments... Undermined Fairness"

[Anchor]

We will now examine how the court ruled on the charges against Kim Keon-hee, item by item. Regarding the so-called 'NATO 3-piece set,' the court found Kim guilty on all counts, criticizing that public decision-making had been reduced to a subject of transaction.

Reporter Jang Hun-gyeong has the story.

[Reporter]

During the overseas trip in June 2022, when former President Yoon Suk Yeol departed for his first attendance at the NATO summit, Kim Keon-hee wore flashy jewelry.

It was the so-called 'NATO 3-piece set.' The 55.6 million won necklace was received just six days after former President Yoon's election, and the earrings and brooch, worth over 20 million won, were also received from Lee Bong-kwan, Chairman of Seohee Construction, within one or two months of the election.

While Kim's side claimed they were congratulatory gifts for the election, Chairman Lee submitted a voluntary confession to the special counsel team, stating that he provided them along with a request for his son-in-law's appointment.

[Lee Bong-kwan/Chairman of Seohee Construction (September 2025): (Ms. Kim Keon-hee's side says they don't know your son-in-law; did you mention the contents from your confession?) ......]

The court also ruled that a quid pro quo relationship was established regarding the jewelry Kim received from Chairman Lee.

The court cited as evidence that after receiving the jewelry, Kim asked the chairman if there was anything she could help with, and that the chairman's son-in-law was subsequently appointed as the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister.

[Cho Soon-pyo/Presiding Judge, Criminal Agreement Division 21, Seoul Central District Court: Instead of refusing or drawing a line regarding Lee Bong-kwan's personnel request, she utilized her influence to accept it...]

The court emphasized that "the public decision-making process was linked to money and valuables, degrading it into a subject of transaction for Kim's personal gain."

The court also did not accept the fact that Kim had returned or deposited some of the jewelry as a mitigating factor.

[Cho Soon-pyo/Presiding Judge, Criminal Agreement Division 21, Seoul Central District Court: Considering the circumstances, timing of the return, and timing of the deposit, we do not consider this as a favorable factor for (Kim Keon-hee).]

The court sentenced Chairman Lee to one year in prison, suspended for two years, noting his cooperation with the investigation, such as voluntarily submitting evidence.

(Video Editing: Ahn Yeo-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.