South Korea’s ‘Beautiful First Lady’ Struggles with Luxury Brand Bag Bribery Suspicion as Couple Offers Troubled Explanation

South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol, 63, is suffering from criticism from both the ruling and opposition parties, with a poll released in early February showing a 29% approval rating and a 63% disapproval rating. The main reason for the slump is the “luxury brand bag bribery scandal” involving Kim Keon-hee, 51, who is known as the “beautiful first lady.

The story began last November with a video published on the YouTube channel “Seoul Voice. The location was the office of “Kobana Contents,” an arts event planning company run by Kim. The video was shot on September 13, 2010. The video shows a graphic exchange between Kim and Pastor Choi Jae-yong, an acquaintance of Kim’s who visited the office and is involved in the North-South unification movement.

Mr. Kim: “Why are you bringing me such an expensive thing?

Pastor Choi , I don’t think I can give you a gift next time.

Mr. Kim〈 Don’t do this ……. Please don’t do this!

Pastor Choi, it’ s just how I feel.

If there is a price, it is punishable.

It is believed that Pastor Choi gave Kim a bag from the luxury brand Dior. Kim was puzzled, but did not refuse to accept the bag. The bag is a luxury item with an estimated value of 3 million won (approx. 340,000 yen), and if it is found to be a bribe with consideration, it would be a violation of the Kim Yong-ran Act (the Unfair Competition Prevention Act) in South Korea and subject to punishment.

When the video was released, the opposition parties vehemently denounced it, saying that if he had really received the money, it was bribery. Criticisms also grew over the fact that the president and his wife did not give a direct explanation. In the face of these headwinds, President Yun took a serious step forward on February 7 of this year. Appearing on a program on the Korean public broadcasting station KBS, he asserted that

I think it’s a little bit of a problem that Mr. Kim didn’t clearly refuse to accept the bag. It is a little regrettable, but as the first lady, it was difficult for her to refuse so coldly.

The video was taken with a hidden camera, and it was a year and a half ago. Making a fuss about it should be considered a political maneuver in itself.

President Yoon said, “I don’t have fights with my wife,” and appealed for marital bliss. The program continued to make bitter arguments, such as describing a “luxury brand bag” as a “pouch.

The opposition parties have been increasingly critical of President Yun’s remarks on the program. They said, ‘It trivialized the issue,’ ‘We were forced to watch a bad play,’ and ‘He made only excuses such as political maneuvering and did not say a word of apology until the end. His one-sided assertions in the program also have a bad reputation. President Yun hasn’t held a press conference to take questions from reporters since August ’22.

Kim’s scandal has been dubbed ‘Gonhirisk,’ and it is believed that it will put the administration in a tight spot. The allegations are not limited to ‘brand bags. A number of scandals have surfaced, including academic fraud, a prison sentence for her mother for forging private documents, and manipulation of the stock price of a car sales company owned by an acquaintance.

Before her husband assumed the presidency, Kim had stated that she would “devote herself to the role of a wife. Now she is becoming a figure whose words and actions hold the fate of the administration in their hands.