Photo : YONHAP News
Lee Chang-soo, head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, has reported the results of an investigation regarding the first lady to Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung.
Sources in the legal community say Lee made the report Thursday, telling Shim that first lady Kim Keon-hee should face no charges for accepting an expensive handbag from Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young in September 2022.
Lee is also said to have told the prosecutor general that Choi should not face charges either.
Last month, after an investigation that lasted nearly four months, a team at the Seoul prosecutors’ office reported to then-Prosecutor General Lee One-seok that neither Kim nor Choi should be indicted on criminal charges over the luxury bag.
However, Lee handed over the case to the prosecution’s investigation review committee after controversy emerged, with some suggesting the prosecution showed preferential treatment to the first lady in the questioning process.
The panel, which comprised 15 external experts, advised against indicting Kim on any of the six charges that were considered, but recommended that the pastor face charges under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.
A final decision on the luxury bag case is set to be announced next week, if the prosecutor general approves the team’s assessment.