A South Korean prosecution investigation team has dismissed anti-graft charges against first lady Kim Keon-hee, according to local media. Kim was under investigation for accepting expensive gifts, including a luxury Dior handbag valued at approximately three million won (~$2,255), from Choi Jae-young, a Korean-American pastor, in 2022.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office stated that the anti-graft charges could not be pursued against Kim, deeming the handbag an expression of gratitude rather than a bribe associated with Choi’s requests. These requests included potentially facilitating the future burial of former US House Representative Jay Chang-joon Kim in a national cemetery. The investigation team said there was no apparent connection between the gifts and Choi’s requests, further noting that Kim was unaware of such requests as they were not communicated to her. Additionally, they concluded that President Yoon Suk-yeol was not required to report the gifts since they were unrelated to his official duties.
The opposition Democratic Party of Korea has voiced its disagreement with the decision, urging the ruling People Power Party to appoint a special prosecutor for a thorough review. Jeon Hyun-hee, former chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, argued that Yoon breached the anti-graft law by not reporting and returning his wife’s luxury gifts and criticized the decision to dismiss the charges as legally incoherent. Furthermore, Democratic Party spokesperson Cho Seung-rae contested the characterization of the handbag as merely a token of gratitude.
The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act in South Korea mandates that officials immediately report gifts received by their spouses, though it does not impose penalties on the spouses themselves. Prosecutors decided against charging Kim with accepting a bribe for mediation or violating the Attorney-at-Law Act.
The prosecutor general will either approve the investigation team’s decision or call for a review by an investigation review committee after the decision is submitted.
For further details, you can read the original article on JURIST.