First lady’s Dior bag submitted to prosecutors in luxury bag scandal probe

Prosecutors on Friday secured a luxury handbag that first lady Kim Keon Hee had received from a Korean American pastor seeking her favors as part of an investigation into allegations that the acceptance violated ethics rules.

The Dior bag, worth 3 million won (US$2,163), was handed over to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office from the presidential office and investigators plan to look into whether the bag was the one that was given to Kim, whether it had been used and why the presidential office kept it.

Kim was questioned for 12 hours last week in connection with the case.

Aides to Kim have told prosecutors that Kim ordered the bag be returned the same day it was given, but the aide claimed she forgot to do so because she was too busy with other tasks.

Prosecutors also plan to look into whether President Yoon Suk Yeol declared the gift.

The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act states that spouses of public office holders should not receive money or valuables in connection with matters related to official duties and that public office holders must declare such gifts in writing upon learning of such acceptances.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission had looked into the case, but decided to close the inquiry last month, citing the absence of rules on punishing a public official’s spouse under the act.

The scandal has been one of the biggest issues dogging the first couple after a video surfaced last year of the first lady receiving the bag from the pastor armed with a hidden camera in September 2022.