SEOUL – The lawyer for South Korea's First Lady, Kim Keon Hee, confirmed on Tuesday that she instructed an aide to return a Dior handbag that was gifted to her by a pastor, amidst ongoing investigations into the allegations surrounding the receipt of the luxury item.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the First Lady ordered her aide, identified only by the surname Yoo, to return the handbag to avoid any appearance of impropriety, despite concerns that an immediate return might offend the gift-giver, Pastor Choi Jae-young. This instruction was disclosed during Yoo's questioning by the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office on July 3. The handbag, valued at approximately 3 million won (US$2,175), was allegedly received in 2022 along with other expensive gifts, which has led to speculation and media scrutiny. Choi Ji-woo urged the media to avoid "excessively speculative and malicious articles" about the incident, emphasizing that the bag was kept unwrapped and unused with the intention to return it.
The lawyer's statement also sought to clarify that there was no attempt by the First Lady to shift responsibility regarding the allegations to others.