Presidential office defends prosecution’s decision of not charging first lady over luxury bag scandal

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 (US$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 presi
dential 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 for indictment, though he, too, ended up not getting charged in the end because the prosecution determined that his gifts for Kim were not related to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s official duties and that no favors were offered in exchange.

The prosecution on Wednesday concluded that the gifts were given to Kim to secure opportunities for meetings with the first lady or maintain relations with her.

The prosecution also based its conclusion on the fact that the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act prohibits the spouses of public officials from receiving gifts related to official duties but does not have grounds for punishment.

Choi claimed that he made several requests for favors when handing the handbag
to Kim, but the prosecution dismissed this, concluding that the interactions were merely personal communications.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

ADVERTISEMENT