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News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 6th December 2024

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing a series of gaffes, including the temporary but contentious implementation of martial law, to salvage his political career. Among the many instances that have weakened his public support and moved opinion against the administration is a fancy Dior handbag gifted to First Lady Kim Keon Hee under dubious circumstances.

Although this incident occurred in 2022, it was brought to public attention in November 2023 and has now grown into a political maelstrom, according to Bloomberg.

While prosecutors have exonerated Kim of criminal charges, opposition parties in South Korea believe the fancy bag was delivered as a bribe and have called for an independent probe. Yoon and the First Lady have disputed all claims, claiming the gift was part of a “manoeuvre” to discredit them.

In the footage, he is seen entering into what appears to be the office of Kim’s planning agency and handing her a shopping bag containing the Dior bag. “Why do you keep bringing these?” Kim may be heard saying something on the footage. She said, “Never buy something expensive like this.”  However, a year later, the video surfaced on a left-leaning political website that typically expresses opposition to Yoon’s policies.

The situation quickly reminded people of previous “pay-to-play” scandals in which individuals exploited their access to authority for personal benefit. Furthermore, it sparked a dispute about whether the First Lady invited the unwanted attention on herself or was targeted for enhancing her profile.

Kim was questioned by prosecutors about the event for approximately 12 hours in July of this year. Her lawyer later informed Yonhap News that the South Korean First Lady reacted in a “sincere manner and told the truth.” As a result, the prosecution discovered no evidence of favours promised in exchange for the fancy bag. Yoon addressed the problem, stating that it arose from his wife’s inability to cut ties with the preacher.
“It will be important to draw a clearer line to ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” Yoon told .