<figure id="attachment_383972" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1483px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-383972"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="15f43503"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/07/17724b3dadba392fe5d945021fb7313c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-383972" class="wp-caption-text">Kim underwent a 12-hour-long interrogation.</figcaption></figure>
An unusual investigation took place in South Korea.
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For the first time in South Korean history, a sitting First Lady was interrogated by prosecutors. On July 20, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor&#8217;s Office questioned Kim Keon-hee (51), the wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol. The interrogation lasted for 12 hours.
&#8220;Kim is suspected of receiving a luxury bag as a bribe and being involved in stock price manipulation. The luxury bag was given to her by a pastor who continues to promote activities for the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. A video of the intense exchange between Kim and the pastor was published on YouTube.&#8221; (said a reporter from a South Korean newspaper)
FRIDAY Digital reported in an article released on December 9 of last year, providing detailed coverage of Kim&#8217;s &#8216;luxury bag bribery allegations&#8217; and the content of the video in question. The following is a reprint of that article, reflecting on the background of the First Lady&#8217;s interrogation (some content has been revised).
<h2>A luxury item worth 340,000 yen </h2>
&#8220;Did she really receive a luxury bag? If she did, did she return it or is she still keeping it? I want a clear answer.&#8221;
On November 28 last year, Park Joo-min, a member of South Korea&#8217;s opposition party &#8220;Democratic Party of Korea,&#8221; harshly pursued the scandal involving the beautiful First Lady Kim.
The scandal involves Kim allegedly receiving a luxury Dior bag from a man she met. The bag is said to be worth 3 million won (approximately 340,000 yen). If considered a bribe with reciprocal value, it would be a violation of South Korea&#8217;s Kim Young-ran Act (Anti-Corruption and Bribery Prevention Act).
&#8220;The person accused of giving the luxury bag to Kim is Pastor Choi Jae-yong, who shuttles between North and South Korea for reunification activities. On September 13, 2022, he visited Kim&#8217;s arts event planning company &#8216;Kobana Contents&#8217; in central Seoul and reportedly presented the branded item.&#8221; (said a South Korean newspaper reporter)
 
The allegations against Kim regarding bribery are not entirely baseless. On November 27 last year, the YouTube channel &#8220;Voice of Seoul&#8221; released a video showing Kim allegedly receiving a luxury bag from Pastor Choi. The footage captured the following vivid exchange between the two:
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="The graphic video content with Rev."></div>
Kim: &#8220;Why are you bringing such an expensive item?&#8221;
Pastor Choi: &#8220;I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ll be able to give you a gift next time.&#8221;
Kim: &#8220;P-please don&#8217;t do this. Really, stop.&#8221;
Pastor Choi: &#8220;It&#8217;s my feeling.”
<h2>The reporter who initiated the investigation resigned immediately afterward</h2>
In the video, it appears that while Kim seemed confused, she did not refuse to accept the luxury bag.
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&#8220;It seems that the video was recorded by a hidden camera in Pastor Choi’s wristwatch. The reporter who orchestrated the investigation, Reporter A from &#8216;Voice of Seoul,&#8217; is said to have given the bag to Pastor Choi in advance. After the video was released, Reporter A resigned from &#8216;Voice of Seoul&#8217; immediately.&#8221; (said the source)
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Even though it was a setup by the reporter, Pastor Choi likely had his own motives. 
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&#8220;Kim and Pastor Choi are both from Yangpyeong in northern South Korea and have a family connection. They also reportedly keep in touch personally. Pastor Choi is said to be dissatisfied with the current administration&#8217;s tough stance on North Korea. If the bribery to Kim is true, he might have intended to influence a relaxation of North Korea policy.
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The South Korean Broadcasting Labor Union criticized &#8216;Voice of Seoul&#8217;s&#8217; investigative methods, stating that they exceeded acceptable limits for disclosing public figures&#8217; interactions. They also expressed concerns that the aim was to tarnish the presidential couple’s reputation through &#8216;sting operations.&#8217; It might have been intentional to damage Kim&#8217;s image.&#8221; said a reporter stationed in Seoul for a national newspaper)
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At the time, the South Korean Presidential Office did not provide a clear response to the incident. The focus is now on how the prosecution, which questioned Kim, will handle the situation.
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 Splash/Afro

 South Korea's beautiful First Lady Kim Keon-hee was interviewed by prosecutors. The allegations include bribery for accepting a luxury bag from a pastor she knew. The video shows a graphic exchange between the two. We report on this horrifying scandal in detail!

South Korea’s First Lady Faces Bribery Suspicion Over $340,000 Dior Bag

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