Holiday Ayo - South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday (December 3) demanded a 15-year prison sentence for former first lady Kim Keon Hee, charged with corruption and stock fraud.

Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, was arrested last August and is being investigated for an alleged stock manipulation scheme and for accepting gifts from the Unification Church, a religious organization widely considered a cult.

She is also accused of interfering in parliamentary elections.

South Korean prosecutors said the 53-year-old woman "stood above the law" and colluded with the Unification Church to "undermine the constitutionally mandated separation of religion and state."

"This undermines the fairness of elections and the representative democratic system that underpins the national government," the prosecutors said, as reported by AFP news agency on Thursday (December 4).

The prosecution asked the court to sentence her to 15 years in prison and a fine of two billion won (approximately IDR 22.7 billion).

In her latest testimony, Kim called the charges "extremely unfair."

"However, when I consider the role and responsibilities entrusted to me, it becomes clear that I have made many mistakes," Kim said.

While there is "room to refute" the charges, "I sincerely apologize for the disrespect I have caused to the public," she added.

Kim's trial on Wednesday (December 3) comes a year after her husband, Yoon, declared martial law in a failed attempt to suspend civilian rule.

The brief martial law declaration plunged South Korea into political turmoil.

Yoon was arrested earlier this year on charges of rebellion, which she denies.

This marks the first time a former South Korean president and first lady have been detained.

The court is scheduled to sentence Kim on January 28 of next year.