DP chief's wife fined 1.5 million won for treating influential spouses to dinner during primary

Kim Hye-kyung, wife of Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung, was sentenced to a fine of 1.5 million won ($1,068) on Thursday for providing meals to spouses of former and current DP members during the 2022 presidential election.

Kim Hye-kyung, wife of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, leaves the Suwon District Court on Thursday after a first trial. [YONHAP]

Kim Hye-kyung, wife of Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung, was sentenced to a fine of 1.5 million won ($1,068) on Thursday for treating spouses of former and current DP members to dinner at the provincial government's expense during the party's 2022 presidential primary.

The Suwon District Court sentenced Kim, who was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act, to a fine in the first trial on Thursday.

Kim, whose husband served as Gyeonggi governor from 2018 to 2022, is accused of violating laws by spending 104,000 won on a corporate credit card issued by the Gyeonggi provincial government to cover the cost of dining with six people, including three women married to mid-level current and former DP officials, as well as her driver and lawyer.

“The defendant denied the crime and attempted to shift the responsibility to Lee’s secretary,” said the court in a statement. “After Lee declared his candidacy for the 2022 presidential election, the defendant made a donation by paying for meals while meeting with spouses of prominent DP figures who could help with Lee’s election.

“Considering the circumstances of the crime, the means and method, the verdict was given as [Kim's action] appears to have risked the fairness and transparency of the elections at the time,” the court continued.

The meal in question occurred on Aug. 2, 2021, after Lee had announced his candidacy in the party’s primaries to select its candidate in the March 2022 presidential election.

Prosecutors indicted Kim in February and accused her of directing Lee’s then-secretary, a Gyeonggi official identified only by the surname Bae, to use the governor’s corporate card to pay for the meal.

Kim has also been accused of misusing Lee’s official expense card on other occasions.

Prosecutors previously sought a fine of 3 million won for Kim on Oct. 24.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]