Prosecutor General Lee One-seok answers questions from the press as he arrives at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap Kim Keon Hee likely to be cleared of Dior handbag allegations By Anna J. Park Korea's top prosecutor proposed, Monday, to amend the country's anti-graft law to clarify rules regarding the first lady amid controversy over a recent recommendation by an investigation review committee not to take action against first lady Kim Keon Hee for accepting a luxury handbag from a pastor.
The controversy began in late 2022 when Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young secretly recorded himself presenting a Dior handbag to Kim. Choi alleged that the handbag, worth 3 million won ($2,248), was a bribe given in exchange for favors he sought from her. The investigation review committee at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, comprised of 15 outside experts, recently recommended against indicting Kim, concluding that the acceptance of the Dior bag and other gifts from the pastor was not related to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s official duties.
This decision reaffirmed an earlier ruling by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office (SCDPO), which had been investigating the case. Earlier, investigators at the SCDPO determined that there was no recognized job-related connection for the gift, making it difficult to apply charges such as bribery or influence peddling. They also noted that the country’s anti-graft law does not include provisions for punishing the spouses of public officials.
In response to the panel's recommendation, Prosecutor General Lee One-seok stated that he respects the committee’s decision, highlighting the distinction between "unwise or inappropriate behavior" and a "criminal act." "I understand that the president himself referred to the first lady's conduct as unwise," Lee told reporters, Monday. "Unwise, inappropriate or undesirable actions do not automatically amount to a criminal offense under the law," he noted.
Additionally, Lee pointed out that he personally thinks that it is necessary to overhaul the curent legal shortcomings concerning the anti-graft actions of the spouses of public officials. "Personally, I see this as an opportunity to precisely supplement and revise the laws concerning the spouses of public officials and to comprehensively update the legislation, in order to prevent further controversy (regarding such issues)," Lee said. Regarding criticism that the review committee's conclusion contradicts public sentiment, Lee stated that he respects the committee's recommendation, noting that it was made by outside experts rather than members of the prosecution.
During the SCDPO’s investigation, it was alleged that prosecutors had given “preferential treatment” to the first lady by questioning her privately outside the prosecutors’ office. This approach, which was not communicated to the top prosecutor in advance, sparked Lee’s outrage. As to the controversy of special treatment, Lee said, “We’ll look into if there was wrongdoing, and if there was, we’ll examine it thoroughly and take necessary measures to prevent similar cases from recurring.
” In response to the top prosecutor's comments, the presidential office stated that it has no official comment on the matter. Lee's two-year term ends this Sunday. Civic group members hold a press conference in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho District, Seoul, Thursday, calling for the indictment of first lady Kim Keon Hee.
Yonhap Meanwhile, the Seoul High Court is set to deliver its ruling on Thursday on a separate case also involving the first lady and Kwon Oh-soo, former chairman of Deutsche Motors, over stock price manipulation allegations between 2009 and 2012. In a lower court ruling from February of last year, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kwon to two years in prison, with the sentence suspended for three years. The court acknowledged that three accounts in Kim’s name were used in Kwon’s stock manipulation scheme but did not determine whether this implicated the first lady as an accomplice.
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