How First Lady Kim Keon-hee's Dior Bag Stirred Controversy In South Korea

Businesswoman, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's Wife, Kim Keon-hee is set to be freed by the prosecutors of any criminal charges over her for receiving a luxury handbag under questionable circumstances, a report said, winding up a probe into a case that has rocked over the entire politics.

Kim Keon-hee was born on September 2nd, 1972, and is a well-established South Korean businesswoman, who has been the First Lady of South Korea since May 10, 2022, as the wife of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Grappling with struggle, Kim's father died when she was in middle school. She attended Myungil Girls' High School before graduating from Kyonggi University with an Art degree.

She is also the chief executive officer and president of the art exhibition company, Covana Contents which was established in 2009 by her. In 2019, the media reported that she had allegedly been not paying any taxes. Kim has been investigated for purportedly taking kickbacks for hosting art exhibitions.

Kim's roller-coaster journey of accusations

Later in 2021, there were reports that Kim had inflated her resume with connections to the New York University's Stern School Of Business. In a press conference, she later publicly apologized and promised only "to focus on the role as Yoon's spouse even if Yoon is elected." At the end of 2021, prosecutors announced that they would start investigations against Kim for corruption regarding stock market manipulation.

Now, regarding the ongoing issue, The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has concluded no direct link between Yoon’s duties and First Lady Kim Keon Hee receiving the bag purchased for 3 million won ($2,250). They found no evidence favours were offered in return to the individual, a pastor, who gave her the bag, Yonhap News reported, citing sources that it did not identify.

The Seoul prosecutors’ office did not immediately respond to a comment request. The office typically does not offer public statements on its investigations. The probe team is expected to report the investigation results to the top prosecutor in the coming days, Yonhap said.

First Lady to be liberated from Dior Bag Inquiry

Meanwhile, the inspection opened in May after a secretly recorded video of Kim being gifted the bag surfaced everywhere. The handbag encounter in late 2022 touched off a political firestorm when the video came to light early this year, with Yoon’s political opponents accusing Kim of heavy corruption. 

Kim was even questioned for about 12 hours in July, putting a spotlight back on the incident that had dented support for the government. Surprisingly, It was also the first time a sitting First Lady had been summoned for questioning as part of a probe into her conduct. Although, Yoon and Kim have constantly  denied any wrongdoing and the president even apologized in May for causing any concern to the public for his wife’s “unwise behaviour.”

The opposition Democratic Party criticized the prosecution. “We need to reveal the truth with a special counsel probe,” party lawmaker Jo Seounglae said in a statement. The bag appears set to become part of national property, with it either being auctioned off for cash that will go to the treasury or being stored as a part of the presidential records for the Yoon government, according to the JoongAng newspaper.