A South Korean prosecution investigation team anti-graft charges against first lady Kim Keon-hee on Wednesday, according to local media. Kim was previously investigated by South Korean prosecutors for accepting an approximately three million won ($2,255) luxury Dior handbag and other expensive gifts from Choi Jae-young, a Korean-American pastor, in 2022. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said that the anti-graft charges could not be pursued against Kim in connection with her acceptance of the handbag and other expensive gifts.
The investigation team allegedly viewed the handbag as an expression of gratitude and that it was not associated with Choi’s requests to Kim, which included allowing the future burial of former Korean-American US House Representative Jay Chang-joon Kim in a national cemetery. The investigation team also that Kim was unaware of Choi’s requests as they were not conveyed to her. In addition, the investigation team said South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was not obliged to report the gifts as they were irrelevant to his duties.
The opposition Democratic Party of Korea disagreed with the prosecution investigation team’s decision and urged the ruling People Power Party to appoint a special prosecutor to review the investigation. Member of the Democratic Party of Korea and former chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Jeon Hyun-hee Yoon breached the country’s anti-graft law by not reporting and returning Kim’s.