Dior Bag Scandal: Kim Keon Hee's Luxury Gift Controversy
The First Lady of South Korea, Kim Keon Hee, was interrogated by prosecutors regarding accusations of stock manipulation and corruption related to a luxury bag valued at $2,200, according to Yonhap agency.
The 12-hour interrogation took place after the opposition requested a special investigation into the First Lady for accepting a Dior bag, which violated government ethics rules, and for her alleged role in a stock manipulation scheme.
A hidden camera recording published last year appeared to show Kim Keon Hee accepting a luxury bag worth $2,200, an act later dubbed the "Dior bag scandal" by local newspapers.
The scandal tarnished the image of President Yoon Suk Yeol, contributing to his party's crushing defeat in the April elections, where they failed to regain the parliamentary majority.
Such a gift would violate South Korean law, which prohibits public officials and their spouses from accepting anything worth more than $750.
Kim's assistant told investigators earlier this month that the First Lady had instructed her to return the bag the same day she received it, but she forgot to do so, according to Yonhap news agency.
In his first statement regarding the bag scandal in February, President Yoon called it a "political manoeuvre" and said his wife accepted the bag only because she found it hard to refuse. However, in a press conference in May, he later apologised, describing his wife's acceptance of the bag as "reckless."
Translation by Iurie Tataru
