All Other Gifts Including Cosmetics and Alcohol Discarded
First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, testified during a face-to-face investigation by the prosecution last July that she had never told President Yoon about receiving a gift from Pastor Choi Jae-young.
On the 2nd, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office partially disclosed Kim's testimony while explaining the reasons for not indicting those involved in the luxury handbag bribery allegations.
The prosecution concluded, after forensic procedures on the Dior bag voluntarily submitted by the presidential office, that it was identical to the one Pastor Choi had gifted to Kim. They compared the position of air bubbles by examining the scene where the anti-scratch sticker at the bottom of the button was removed and reapplied, and confirmed that the folding position of the wrapping paper and the location of the stitches were the same.
Although Pastor Choi claimed, "I know the serial number because I wrote it down," the prosecution explained, "We checked with Dior headquarters, but they replied that there is no product identification number."
The prosecution plans to proceed with the process of transferring the Dior bag to the national treasury through a public auction. Kim submitted a statement to the prosecution agreeing that it is appropriate to transfer it to the national treasury. Article 48 of the Prosecution Seizure Property Regulations stipulates that seized items for which the owner intends to relinquish ownership should be transferred to the national treasury.
Meanwhile, the prosecution stated that all other gifts given by Pastor Choi, including cosmetics, liquor, and lamps, except for the Dior bag, have been discarded.
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