Prosecutors Summon Lawyer Kwon Seong-hee for Picking Up Book Given to First Lady Kim Geon-hee

Attorney Kwon: "Cannot Trust Investigation Team After Personnel Changes... Will Not Submit Books"

The prosecution investigating the suspicion of Kim Geon-hee's receipt of luxury handbags has summoned a resident who reported finding a book presumed to have been gifted to Mrs. Kim by Pastor Choi Jae-young.

On the afternoon of the 21st, lawyer Kwon Seong-hee showed reporters a book that the President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife Kim Geon-hee allegedly found at the recycling station of Acrovista, where they used to live, before appearing at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, for a witness investigation related to the 'luxury bag receipt suspicion.' [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Seung-ho) summoned lawyer Kwon Seong-hee, a resident of the Acrovista Apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife lived before moving to the official residence, as a witness on the 21st for questioning.

Kwon claimed that shortly after the President and his wife moved to the Hannam-dong official residence at the end of 2022, she found a book with a handwritten note by Pastor Choi in the apartment's recycling area.

On that day, Kwon appeared with four books authored by Pastor Choi at the request of the prosecution, including "The Jeon Tae-il Chronicles 1 and 2," "Visiting Religion in the North," and "Everyone Becomes a Gourmet in Pyongyang."

Before appearing before the prosecution, Kwon met with reporters and revealed these books. The inside cover of the books showed an inscription reading, "To President Yoon Seok-yeol and Mrs. Kim Geon-hee. July 23, 2022. Author Pastor Choi Jae-young," and there were handwritten notes presumed to be written by Pastor Choi related to the book's content.

However, Kwon recently stated that she would not submit the books, citing a lack of trust in the investigation team following recent personnel changes in the prosecution.

The online media outlet Seoul Voice previously reported via a YouTube broadcast that Pastor Choi had been in contact with Mrs. Kim via messenger since January 2022 and had successively gifted her cosmetics, perfume, whiskey, his own books, traditional liquor, and luxury handbags between June and September of the same year.