ACRC says there is no provision to sanction spouses of public officials under anti-graft law

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), which investigated first lady Kim Keon-hee's alleged acceptance of a luxury bag, closed the case, saying that there is no provision to sanction spouses of public officials and others under the anti-graft law. This comes about half a year after the case was reported. Critics say the ACRC took too long and gave the president’s couple “indulgence.”

Chung Seung-yoon, vice chairman of the ACRC, held a briefing on June 10 and said, “We decided to close the case because the anti-graft law does not have any provision to sanction against spouses of public officials, including the first lady.”

The ACRC also closed a report on Pastor Choi Jae-young, who handed a luxury bag to President Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim. "We decided to close the case after discussing whether it was related to their duties and whether it was a presidential record,” Jung said, adding, “"This is the reason for termination under Article 14 of the Enforcement Decree of the Anti-Graft Law.”

The ACRC applied the Article 14 that allows reporting to be terminated when “the contents of the report falls under the content disclosed through the media, and the investigation is underway or has already ended, and there is no new evidence,” or “it is recognized that it is reasonable to close the report because it is not necessary to investigate, such as not being able to confirm the violation of the law.”

In December last year, People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy reported Yoon, Kim, and Choi to the ACRC for allegedly violating the anti-graft law. This was after the online media outlet “The Voice of Seoul” released a video of Choi giving Kim a luxury bag worth $3 million.

Prosecutors are currently investigating Kim's alleged acceptance of the luxury bag. “We strongly condemn the ACRC for denying its raison d'être as an anti-corruption agency and granting immunity to the president’s couple,” People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said in a statement. "Yoon's violation of the law was covered just because there was no provision to sanction against spouses of public officials.”

It is also inevitable to criticize the ACRC for taking too much time. In January, the commission said it was investigating the case only after the media reported that it was not investigating the case for nearly a month after receiving the report. In March, the ACRC was criticized for extending the timeframe to handle the case, suggesting that it was conscious of the April 10 general election.

On the day the results of the investigation were announced, Kim embarked on an official trip abroad with Yoon. Suspicions have been raised that the timing of the announcement was orchestrated to ease the pressure on Kim.

“The entire nation saw the first lady receive a multi-million-dollar luxury bag in a private space, and the ACRC says there is no problem because there is no provision for punishment to spouses of public officials,” said Lee Hae-sik, a senior spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. “Even the ACRC, which is supposed to be a bastion of public rights and integrity of public officials, has been reduced to a handmaiden of power."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.