Top prosecutor refers first lady’s luxury bag gift case to review committee

Prosecutor General Lee One-seok referred the case of first lady Kim Keon Hee’s acceptance of a luxury bag to a review committee, his office said Friday, amid controversy over the prosecution team’s decision to clear her of the charges.

The announcement came as the controversy is growing after prosecutors concluded that anti-graft law violation charges cannot be sought against Kim although she received a Dior bag worth about 3 million won (US$2,255) and other expensive gifts from pastor Choi Jae-young two years ago.

Lee made the decision to ensure that the case “undergoes careful deliberation by the committee comprising entirely of outside civilian members,” the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (SPO) said.

The SPO said that while the investigation results show that the evaluation of the evidence and legal interpretation have been thorough, it came to the decision given the high public attention to the case.

“Given the intense public interest and the ongoing controversy, it is deemed appropriate to resolve the matter through the investigation review committee to enhance fairness and prevent further dispute,” the office said.

The prosecution’s conclusion to drop all charges against Kim has fueled a wrangling among political circles.

During a plenary meeting of the legislation and judiciary committee on Friday, lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) criticized the prosecutors for conducting an “unjust” and lenient investigation.

DP Rep. Lee Sung-yoon, who previously served as chief of the SCDPO, said that Justice Minister Park Sung-jae should immediately order a reinvestigation, adding that the prosecution has “become an institution that is unable to investigate those in power” and is now considered a subject to be abolished.

“According to the prosecution’s decision to acquit, all public officials in this room will now be able to freely accept expensive gifts through their spouses with no limit,” DP Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui said in a sarcastic tone.

On the other hand, Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok of the ruling People Power Party argued that “there is no provision in the Anti-Graft Law on penalizing the spouse of a public official for accepting a bribe.”

The prosecution’s decision came about four months after the top prosecutor ordered the SCDPO to set up a special investigation team on the case.

The team reportedly regarded the bag Kim received as a gift exchanged between individuals to express gratitude.