Pastor says handbag video meant to show 'true character' of Yoon, first lady

A Korean American pastor who gave a luxury handbag to first lady Kim Keon Hee said he secretly recorded himself doing so to expose the “true character” of President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife as he appeared before prosecutors on Monday.

Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young responds to questions from reporters as he arrives for questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Monday morning. [YONHAP]

A Korean American pastor who gave a luxury handbag to first lady Kim Keon Hee said he secretly recorded himself doing so to expose the “true character” of President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife as he appeared before prosecutors on Monday.

The pastor, named Choi Jae-young, arrived at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in the morning for questioning over suspicions of graft, trespassing and obstruction of official duties.

Speaking to reporters as he entered the building, Choi said that he chose to engage in what he called “an undercover form of reporting” because he “knew what kind of people President Yoon and first lady Kim are” and wanted to “let people see their true character” by recording himself handing a $2,200 light blue calfskin Lady Dior pouch to Kim in September 2022

The pastor added that he had previously witnessed Kim “inappropriately interfering in state affairs by meddling in government appointments” and decided to record the first lady’s acceptance of his gift to show how the first lady is “concentrating and privately exploiting the president’s authority for herself.”

Choi also called on the media to conduct research into other gifts that he accused Kim of accepting from people currying favor with her, such as a pine bonsai worth more than 10 million won ($7,300) that she allegedly received from Baekseok University founder Jang Jong-hyun.

The pastor said the bonsai was delivered to the president’s official residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, after he moved in November 2022.

But Choi pushed back against criticism that he had set out to ensnare Kim by filming her, arguing that “undercover reporting is intended to support the people’s right to know” and is “not a crime.”

The pastor also claimed the release of the video on the left-leaning YouTube channel Voice of Seoul in November 2023 — more than a year after he recorded it — was not timed to influence public opinion in the months leading up to the April 10 general election, in which the president’s People Power Party suffered a crushing defeat.

“I didn’t want to release the recording until the first lady accused me of being ‘hoodwinked by fake news’ when I mentioned the news story about the rerouting of the highway to Yangpyeong,” he said, referring to widely reported allegations that the route of a now-cancelled motorway was changed to pass over land owned by Kim’s family. “That was when I realized there was no hope left for this administration.”

Choi was summoned by prosecutors for questioning after civic activists filed complaints accusing him of intentionally approaching the first lady with the handbag prepared by Voice of Seoul, which was once sued by the first lady for defamation.

Voice of Seoul also gave Choi a wristwatch with a secret camera to record his meeting with Kim.

The activists alleged that Choi conspired with Voice of Seoul to retaliate against Kim for her previous defamation lawsuit.

Voice of Seoul has, in turn, filed a complaint accusing both Yoon and Kim of committing bribery and graft.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]