Submission of Complaint by Assemblyman Lee Cheol-gyu's Side
Pastor Choi Jaeyoung, who gave luxury bags to First Lady Kim Geonhee, has been booked on charges of defaming Lee Cheolgyu, a member of the People Power Party, and conducting illegal election campaigning during the general election period.
According to the police on the 17th, the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency is investigating Pastor Choi for defamation and violation of election laws.
Pastor Choi is accused of defaming Assemblyman Lee by mentioning him and First Lady Kim at a lecture held in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, last March. In response, Assemblyman Lee's side filed a complaint with the police.
Pastor Choi is also accused of conducting illegal election campaigning in February for Choi Jaegwan, a former local committee chairman who ran as a Democratic Party candidate in the Yeoju-Yangpyeong district. The Public Official Election Act prohibits pastors from using their position to campaign within churches.
On September 13, 2022, Pastor Choi secretly filmed himself delivering a luxury bag worth about 3 million won to First Lady Kim, and the video was released by the online media outlet Seoul Voice last November. Pastor Choi was reported for violating the Stalking Punishment Act and is being investigated by the Seocho Police Station in Seoul.
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