South Korean Prosecutor Cancels Claims For Gratification Of Luxury Bags First Lady Kim Keon Hee

DOCUMENTATION/South Korean First Lady Kim Keon-hee/ANTARA PHOTO/ZABUR_KARU)

Prosecutors in South Korea have decided to cancel the demands of first lady Kim Keon Hee on charges of receiving gifts including Christian Dior's handbag.

This scandal has caused political upheaval in South Korea and contributed to the crushing defeat of President Yoon Suk Yeol's ruling party in April.

After months of investigation into whether Kim violated the Anti-Corruption Act, prosecutors concluded that although Kim Keon Hee received handbags, beauty products and whiskey from a pastor, these gifts were not related to his official duties and no compensation was given. Yonhap's report quoted the prosecutor's office as saying by Reuters on Wednesday, October 2.

Prosecutors also decided to drop the bribery charge against Pastor Abraham Choi, a Kim family acquaintance, who secretly recorded the conversation with a hidden camera and then released the video on the anti-Yoon left-wing YouTube channel.

Choi told reporters he asked for some help when handing over the prize to Kim.

However, according to Yonhap, the prosecutor rejected this and said the interaction was private.

Opposition lawmakers have called for a special advisory investigation into the case and other alleged irregularities involving the first lady.

The opposition-controlled parliament passed a draft investigation law last month, vetoed by Yoon.

Yoon described the scandal as a political maneuver, but later apologized for raising public concern for what he called his wife's "unwise behavior" and vowed to improve regulations to ensure such incidents did not happen again.