Prosecutors conclude three-month probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee’s luxury handbag scandal

According to legal sources, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has finalized its investigation report on the case and submitted it to Lee Chang-soo, the head of the office.

First lady Kim Keon Hee, left, and pastor Choi Jae-young, pose for a photo during President Yoon Suk Yeol's inauguration dinner held at Shilla Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on May 10, 2022. [VOICE OF SEOUL]

Prosecutors recently concluded their three-month investigation into first lady Kim Keon Hee’s luxury handbag scandal.

According to legal sources, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has finalized its investigation report on the case and submitted it to Lee Chang-soo, the head of the office. Lee is expected to brief Prosecutor General Lee One-seok on the results in the coming days, likely during the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s regular briefing on Thursday.

The investigation focused on whether Kim’s acceptance of a $2,200 Christian Dior pouch from Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young in September 2022 violated the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. Although the law does not apply to the spouses of public officials, the investigation could have expanded to President Yoon Suk Yeol if any connection had been found between the gift and the president’s official duties.

Prosecutors concluded that the handbag was irrelevant to any official duties and that the purpose of the gift was too unclear to be considered a bribe. Choi claimed the bag was given to facilitate the burial of former Korean American U.S. House Rep. Jay Chang Joon Kim at the national cemetery. Choi is known to have close ties with the former U.S. representative.

The investigation revealed that Kim was unaware of Choi’s request, and the first lady’s aides did not pass the request on to her.

An official at the presidential office, identified by her surname Yoo, told prosecutors during questioning last month that the first lady ordered the bag returned immediately after receiving it, but Yoo claimed she forgot to do so due to other duties.

Once the case concludes, prosecutors are expected to discuss the bag's ownership with the presidential office. If Kim refuses to keep the bag, it will likely be sold at a public auction, with the proceeds going to the national treasury. The presidential office may also designate the handbag as a presidential record.

However, the investigation faces one last hurdle: the prosecution’s investigation review committee. The committee, an external body that reviews investigations of high public interest, consists of 15 experts randomly selected from a pool of 300 members. The committee's recommendations are not binding.

Choi said Monday that he would officially request the committee to review the investigation on Friday. This follows the rejection of a similar request by the head of the liberal YouTube news channel Voice of Seoul earlier in the month, who was deemed ineligible to make the request because he was not directly involved in the case.

The top prosecutor may consider convening the review committee due to controversies surrounding the investigation, including the delay in reporting Kim's closed-door questioning to him. However, as the review process involves multiple processes, including forming the committee and going through statements, it is unlikely that the case will be fully resolved before the prosecutor general’s term ends on Sept. 15 if the committee convenes.

“Nothing has been decided yet,” an official at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said.

“As the investigation results have not yet been reported, we have neither discussed nor can we discuss the possibility of convening the investigative review committee.”

BY CHUNG JIN-WOO AND CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]