‘Dior bag scandal’: Video of alleged graft threatens S. Korea president’s reelection

A hidden camera allegedly captured South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee accepting a lavish bag as a gift from Korean American Pastor Choi Jae-young. The incident, dubbed the “Dior Bag Scandal,” has become a flashpoint in South Korea’s political culture as President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative People’s Power Party (PPP) seeks to recapture the majority in the country’s upcoming Parliamentary elections.

The Dior bag allegedly given to Kim is reportedly worth $2,250, and it may be a violation of an anti-bribery law in South Korea. The law prohibits any government official from accepting a gift of more than $751, according to the Korea Law Translation Center.

The man who gifted Kim the bag, Pastor Choi, is an advocate for reunifying North and South Korea, according to The New York Times. President Yoon’s administration has said that while unification had been a goal, it will not pursue reunification until North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is no longer in power.

In July, Yoon’s unification minister, Kim Yung-ho, said the ministry had focused too much on providing aid for North Korea in the past and needed to change.

South Korea’s reunification minister is reportedly a conservative scholar and outspoken critic of human rights abuses in North Korea, which President Yoon is hoping to spotlight as tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula.

Yoon has been laser-focused on North Korea, as nuclear tests by adversary Kim Jong Un have caught the attention of South Korea and its allies.

In addition to enhanced aggression from North Korea, Yoon’s administration is dealing with unexpectedly slow economic growth in South Korea. Economists polled by Reuters blame the country’s high interest rates and national debt for a sluggish expansion of the economy.

Piling on top of South Korea’s challenges, Yoon is now forced to face issues in his personal life. The controversy around accusations his wife accepted an unlawful gift has captured the attention of voters.

According to The New York Times, Choi secretly filmed the encounter with a spy camera in a wristwatch. The video claims to show Choi visiting South Korea’s first lady in her personal office and gifting her a swanky bag. The New York Times also reports that Choi became motivated to expose Kim after a meeting with her. Choi said he overheard a conversation in which she appeared “to be playing the role of a senior government official.”

President Yoon and first lady Kim remain silent on the alleged gift scandal. However, members of Yoon’s own party have urged him and his wife to apologize, while others have questioned the timing of the recent release of the 2022 video. At the same time, the Times revealed the majority of South Korean voters surveyed want Yoon’s apology, an investigation, and believe, if true, the acceptance of the gift would be wrong.

Reuters reported that by maintaining his silence on the incident, Yoon is creating a situation that may end up costing PPP the April 10 election, according to analysts.

“It’s a political bombshell,” Rhee Jong-hoon, a political analyst, told Reuters. “The Kim Keon Hee risks are only going to get bigger.”

Yoon won a close presidential race in 2022 but his party remains in the minority in Parliament, which is controlled by the Democratic Party.

Some of Yoon’s political allies say that Kim is the victim, and the hidden camera incident is an example of an illegal plot to set her up and smear Yoon’s campaign. However, at least one expert said public sentiment doesn’t appear to be on the couple’s side.

“The general public thinks, ‘Okay, it may be a trap, but what did she take (the bag) for anyway?’ Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, told Reuters.

The political ramifications of the alleged gift acceptance by Yoon’s wife are far-reaching. Yoon is a staunch ally of the United States and Japan. Both countries have diplomatically and militarily shown their support for South Korea, as aggression from North Korea remains a concern for the foreseeable future.