Seoul's Voice Files Re-appeal After Dismissal of Appeal in Kim Keon-hee "Luxury Bag Case"

"We Need a Reinvestigation"

Seoul's Voice, the online media outlet that first exposed and filed a complaint regarding former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife Kim Keon-hee’s luxury handbag case, has filed a re-appeal with the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, challenging the prosecution’s decision to dismiss the case without charges.

On May 24, Seoul's Voice announced that the previous day it had sent a re-appeal by registered mail to the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, requesting a renewed investigation into former President Yoon and Kim for alleged violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

Seoul High Prosecutors' Office. Yonhap News

Previously, the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office decided to reopen the investigation into the stock price manipulation allegations involving Kim and Deutsche Motors last month. However, it dismissed the appeal regarding the luxury handbag case, stating that there was no need for a reinvestigation.

Seoul's Voice stated, "When Pastor Choi Jaeyoung was questioned last year, the prosecutor led Pastor Choi’s responses by first explaining that the gift was merely a means to arrange a meeting, not a solicitation, and that there appeared to be no relevance to official duties," as grounds for the re-appeal.

They also urged a reinvestigation, arguing that it is difficult to accept the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office’s conclusion that Pastor Choi’s requests to Kim?including participation in a U.S. private diplomatic delegation event, the appointment of former U.S. Congressman Chang-jun Kim as a national policy advisor, and a request for burial at the National Cemetery?were unrelated to the duties of the President.

In the re-appeal, Seoul's Voice stated, "While the prosecution launched compulsory investigations such as search and seizure in the case involving Geonjin Bopsa and violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, they did not conduct any compulsory investigation in the luxury handbag case, even though the structure of the cases is similar."

Seoul's Voice released a hidden camera video in November 2023 showing Kim Keon-hee receiving a Dior bag from Pastor Choi Jaeyoung and filed a complaint against the former President and his wife in December of the same year. However, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office dismissed the case without charges in October last year, stating that there was no evidence of a connection to official duties or of any quid pro quo.