(LEAD) ex-first lady-trial

▲ This file photo, provided by the Seoul Central District Court on April 13, 2026, shows former first lady Kim Keon Hee attending former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae's insurrection trial as a witness at the court in southern Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with ruling; CHANGES headline, lead)

SEOUL, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- An appellate court on Tuesday lowered former first lady Kim Keon Hee's sentence to five years in prison during her bribery trial on charges of taking expensive gifts in return for job appointments.

The Seoul High Court handed down the punishment after a lower court sentenced Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, to seven years in prison in June for accepting gifts in exchange for government jobs and business favors.

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