President Yoon Suk Yeol waves alongside his wife Kim Keon Hee as they disembark from the presidential jet at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday, following their visit to the Czech Republic. Yonhap Prosecutors face dilemma over whether to indict Kim Keon Hee after 2 contradictory recommendations By Lee Hyo-jin The controversy surrounding first lady Kim Keon Hee’s acceptance of a Dior handbag is likely to continue to weigh heavily on President Yoon Suk Yeol, following an investigation review committee's recommendation to indict a pastor for violating the anti-graft law by offering the luxury item to Kim. This decision, made on Tuesday night, contradicts an earlier recommendation by another review committee on Sept.
6, which had ruled Kim's acceptance was unrelated to the president's official duties and thus Kim should not be indicted. These two contradictory recommendations concerning Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young and Kim, respectively, complicate matters for prosecutors, who had tentatively decided to cleare the first lady of the charges in August. According to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the 15-member review committee, comprised of external legal experts, voted 8-7 in favor of indicting Choi for allegedly violating the anti-graft law.
Choi gifted the Dior handbag, valued at around 3 million won ($2,250), to Kim in September 2022 and secretly filmed the interaction using a hidden camera. The footage, published by a liberal YouTube news chann.
