On the 30th, Lee Myung-su, a reporter from Seoul's Voice who purchased a Christian Dior pouch gifted by Pastor Choi Jae-young to First Lady Kim Geon-hee directly from a department store and delivered it to Pastor Choi, appeared at the prosecution and said, "If it weren't for the First Lady's request call, there would have been no Dior bag hidden camera coverage."
That afternoon, the reporter appeared at the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Seung-ho) to be investigated as a suspect on charges including violation of the Anti-Graft Act, defamation, and false accusation, and made these remarks.
The reporter said, "In June 2022, the First Lady received a phone call in front of Pastor Choi, who was the visitor, which was a request call saying, 'Who should be appointed to the Financial Services Commission?'" and added, "If it weren't for that request call, there would have been no Dior bag hidden camera coverage."
Pastor Choi had also delivered luxury brand perfumes and cosmetics purchased with the reporter's own money to the First Lady in June 2022. After witnessing what appeared to be the First Lady receiving a recommendation request at that time, the reporter planned the 'hidden camera coverage.'
The reporter's lawyer stated, "Entrapment reporting is a matter of ethics, and if the content of the coverage involves criminal charges, that falls within the realm of crime," adding, "We will fully cooperate to ensure a thorough investigation."
After President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration, on September 13, 2022, Pastor Choi visited the Kobana Contents office located in the basement of Acrovista in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, and gifted the First Lady a Christian Dior pouch worth about 3 million won. The reporter purchased the bag with his own money and delivered it to Pastor Choi.
The reporter filmed and released footage of himself purchasing the bag directly at the department store. It is also known that the wristwatch-type hidden camera used by Pastor Choi to film the gift-giving scene was prepared and delivered to Pastor Choi by the reporter. It is reported that the reporter discussed undercover coverage of the First Lady with Pastor Choi starting from March 2022, shortly after President Yoon's election.
Lee Myung-su, a reporter from Seoul Voice, revealing through a YouTube broadcast that he personally purchased the bag handed to Mrs. Kim Geon-hee. Photo by Seoul Voice YouTube broadcast capture
Seoul's Voice released footage filmed in November last year and filed a complaint accusing President Yoon and his wife of violating the Anti-Graft Act and bribery charges.
The reporter is the person who disclosed a seven-hour-long phone call with the First Lady in January 2022 before the presidential election through MBC and Seoul's Voice. In relation to this, the First Lady filed a damages lawsuit against the reporter and Baek Eun-jong, CEO of Seoul's Voice, and last month the Supreme Court finalized a ruling ordering 10 million won in damages.
Earlier, Hong Jeong-sik, head of the civic group Halbindan, filed a complaint with the prosecution against Pastor Choi, CEO Baek, and the reporter on charges including violation of the Anti-Graft Act, defamation, and false accusation.
The prosecution summoned Hong for a complainant investigation on the 9th, then summoned Pastor Choi and CEO Baek for investigations on the 13th and 20th, respectively. On the day CEO Baek came for the complainant investigation, he also raised additional suspicions related to the First Lady and filed a complaint.
Meanwhile, controversy arose when all the top officials who led the investigation related to the First Lady were replaced in the personnel reshuffle of prosecutors at the level of high prosecutors and chief prosecutors on the 13th.
At that time, Song Kyung-ho, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who was known to have had conflicts with the Yongsan Presidential Office over the First Lady's investigation, was promoted to chief prosecutor of Busan High Prosecutors' Office and transferred, and Lee Chang-soo, former spokesperson during President Yoon's tenure as Prosecutor General, was appointed as his successor. Also, Kim Chang-jin, first deputy chief prosecutor of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office who led the investigation into the First Lady's luxury bag receipt allegations, was assigned as planning director at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, and Ko Hyung-gon, fourth deputy chief prosecutor who led the investigation into the First Lady's alleged involvement in Deutsche Motors stock manipulation, was assigned as deputy chief prosecutor of Suwon High Prosecutors' Office. Although all three were promoted to high prosecutor or chief prosecutor positions on the surface, they were assigned to departments far from frontline investigations, leading to assessments that these were 'demotion promotions' reflecting President Yoon's dissatisfaction with the First Lady's investigation.
Before the high prosecutor-level personnel reshuffle the previous day, attention was focused on whether the frontline investigation team leadership would also be replaced following the top officials. It is known that Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok requested the Ministry of Justice to retain Kim Seung-ho, head of Criminal Division 1, and Choi Jae-hoon, head of Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2, at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office before this reshuffle. However, as the announcement of mid-level prosecutor personnel changes was delayed beyond expectations, there was analysis that Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae was considering replacing the two until the last moment, but ultimately it was decided to maintain the existing investigation team.
After the investigation of the reporter is completed that day, the investigation team is expected to proceed with questioning the First Lady. Attention is focused on what investigation methods Lee Chang-soo, the new chief of Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and Park Seung-hwan, first deputy chief prosecutor who will assume office on the 3rd of next month, will choose. Some speculate that the First Lady may be questioned in writing or at a third-party location outside the prosecution, but given the public opinion has worsened sharply due to the sudden replacement of the leadership who led the First Lady's investigation, there is also a forecast that a summons interrogation is inevitable.
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