A life sentence was upheld for a woman accused in the high-profile drowning of her husband in 2019 for a life insurance payout. 

The Seoul High Court on Wednesday handed down a life sentence for Lee Eun-hae, who was indicted on charges of murder and attempted murder, upholding a lower court's ruling.

The court also upheld the lower court's 30-year prison term for Cho Hyun-soo, Lee's extramarital lover and her accomplice.

The two allegedly prodded the husband to jump into a deep valley in Gapyeong in Gyeonggi Province in June 2019, although he was unable to swim. 

The high court said that it was a grievous crime as the defendants committed the murder for the 800-million won life insurance payout. It added that they planned the act and did not rescue the victim intentionally, making the crime equally reprehensible as murder.

However, the appellate court rejected prosecutors' charges that Lee "gaslighted" the husband and led him to dive into the river.