First lady Kim Keon Kee pledges allegiance to the national flag during a meeting with athletes for the Paris Paralympic Games at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Sept. 13. Yonhap The presidential office on Thursday defended a recent decision by prosecutors not to charge first lady Kim Keon Hee for accepting a luxury bag from a pastor.
Following a monthslong investigation into allegations that Kim illegally received a Dior handbag worth 3 million won ($2,265) and other expensive items from Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young, the prosecution decided Wednesday not to charge the first lady. Choi secretly filmed the meeting with a hidden camera, and the video was later published by an online news media outlet in November last year, prompting the main opposition party to push for a special counsel probe. In a statement Thursday, the presidential office said some media outlets had reported erroneous facts on the case, defining Choi's filming of Kim taking the bag as a setup.
"With the first lady, it was clear that there were no grounds to charge her, and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office initially recommended a nonindictment to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office," the presidential office said. "In order to fully alleviate people's concerns, the top prosecutors' office sent the case to its investigation review committee. That committee reviewed Choi's statement and advised against indictment unanimously.
" The office said Choi's is "a completely different case" that was recommended.