Chanel Bags and Necklace Physically Inspected in Kim Geonhee Trial... Court Notes "Signs of Use"

Photographs Taken of Chanel Bags, Shoes, and Necklace
Kim’s Side: "Returned to Geonjin Monk Without Use"

The luxury goods, including Chanel bags, that Kim Geonhee allegedly received through Jeon Seongbae, known as Geonjin Monk, in exchange for handling matters for the Unification Church, were presented in court for the first time.

Kim Geonhee, the spouse of former President Yoon Sukyeol, is attending the first trial related to allegations of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, violations of the Capital Market Act, and the Political Funds Act at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul on the 24th.

On this day, the 27th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Woo Inseong) held a continued hearing on Kim Geonhee’s alleged violations of the Capital Market Act and other charges, and conducted a physical inspection of the Chanel bags and other items submitted by the Kim Geonhee Special Prosecutor’s Office (Special Prosecutor Min Jungki).

The special prosecutor’s team submitted three Chanel bags-white, black, and yellow-a pair of Chanel shoes, and a Graff necklace to the court. The judges, wearing white gloves, personally examined the items. They took out their mobile phones to photograph each bag and the necklace and checked for signs of use.

After completing the inspection, the presiding judge stated, “The white bags had no plastic covers on the buckles and showed some scratches that appeared to be signs of use. The inner buckles and zippers still had plastic coverings, there was a care instruction booklet, but there was no fabric inside to maintain the shape.”

The judge continued, “The shoes showed signs of wear on the soles, and ‘39C’ was engraved on them. The necklace was not fixed in place, and it was not possible to visually confirm whether it had been used.” These items have been submitted as evidence in the trial of Jeon, who is charged with mediation bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violations of the Political Funds Act.

The special prosecutor’s team suspects that Yoon Youngho, the former global head of the Unification Church, delivered two Chanel bags and a Graff necklace to Kim Geonhee through Jeon between April and July 2022. It is reported that Kim Geonhee exchanged the two Chanel bags for the three Chanel bags and one pair of shoes submitted on this day through Yoo Kyungok, a former administrative officer at the presidential office.

Kim Geonhee, who had initially denied receiving any gifts, admitted for the first time on the 5th that she had received two Chanel bags and apologized. However, she claimed, “I returned all the items to Jeon without using them, and I did not receive the Graff necklace.”