Indict pastor at heart of first lady's handbag scandal, expert panel recommends

According to prosecution officials, a narrow majority of eight out of 15 committee members told prosecutors they should seek an indictment against Choi on the charge of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

Korean American Pastor Choi Jae-young speaks to reporters outside the Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station in western Seoul on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

A panel of legal experts recommended that the state prosecution service indict Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young for gifting a luxury handbag to first lady Kim Keon Hee late Tuesday evening.

According to prosecution officials, a narrow majority of eight out of 15 committee members told prosecutors they should seek an indictment against Choi on the charge of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

However, 14 of the panel members advised the prosecution against charging Choi with defamation, while all recommended dropping the charges of trespassing and obstruction of official duties.

The panel issued its advice after holding an eight-hour meeting at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office that ended late Tuesday.

The committee’s advice contrasts with its earlier advice to prosecutors against indicting the first lady after it concluded that the anti-graft law does not apply to spouses of government officials.

Choi, who secretly recorded himself giving Kim a blue calfskin Lady Dior pouch worth 3 million won ($2,240) at her office in 2022, claimed the bag and other gifts were intended to guarantee former U.S. Rep. Jay Chang Joon Kim’s appointment to the Korean Advisory Council of Elder Statesman and a place for the former congressman to be buried in a national cemetery.

The video of their exchange was released by the left-leaning YouTube channel Voice of Seoul last November — more than a year after Choi recorded it — leading to accusations that the pastor had conspired with the outlet to damage the first couple’s standing in the lead-up to the April general election, when the president’s People Power Party suffered a crushing defeat.

A team of investigators dedicated to probing the case and other allegations against the first lady was formed in May by then-Prosecutor General Lee One-seok, whose term expired Sept. 13.

The investigations into Kim and Choi were both referred to a committee composed of outside legal experts in late August by the prosecutor general, who said external advice was necessary to ensure fairness and dispel suspicions regarding the prosecution service’s impartiality.

According to prosecution officials, panel members decided Choi should be indicted on suspicion of committing graft based on the video and other evidence submitted by his lawyer, which led them to believe the pastor had tried to use the expensive gifts to establish a quid-pro-quo understanding with the first lady.

Choi told local media that the investigative committee “had reached the objectively correct conclusion” by advising prosecutors to indict him and said he would “wait and see” if they follow through with its recommendations.

Observers say the panel's support for an indictment for Choi, but not for Kim, is likely to pose a headache for the state prosecution service, which had sought to avoid pressing charges against both.

Although the committee’s advice is not binding, prosecutors are required by law to consider its recommendations.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office told reporters it would “refer to both recommendations by the investigative review committee and deal with the allegations in accordance with the law, the probe findings and available evidence.”

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