Special Prosecutor Intensifies Investigation into Kim Keon Hee’s Roger Vivier Gift After Dior and Chanel... “Prosecution Seems Unlikely”

[Financial News] The special prosecutor’s team led by Min Joong-ki is set to launch a full-scale investigation into allegations that Kim Gi-hyeon, a member of the People Power Party, delivered luxury goods. Since Kim Keon Hee was not a public official at the time, both parties are expected to contest the legal applicability of the charges.
According to legal sources on the 10th, the special prosecutor’s team conducted a search and seizure at Kim Keon Hee’s residence in Acrovista on the 6th in connection with the 'Presidential Residence Relocation' case.
At the time, the special prosecutor’s team initiated a compulsory investigation to determine whether Kim Keon Hee and other high-ranking individuals were involved in the awarding of a 21-gram contract. During the search for specific items, including a Christian Dior coat and bracelet, they discovered a Roger Vivier handbag and a letter from Kim Gi-hyeon’s spouse expressing gratitude for helping her husband win the party leadership. After temporarily withdrawing, the team obtained a new search warrant later that day and seized the items. Kim Keon Hee was listed as a suspect for violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and the Political Parties Act.
Both Kim Gi-hyeon and Kim Keon Hee acknowledged the delivery of the handbag but emphasized there was no improper solicitation. Kim Keon Hee’s side stated, “It is true that a clutch bag worth about one million won was given to the First Lady by the newly elected party leader (Kim Gi-hyeon) as a social courtesy, but it was not intended as a quid pro quo and there was no solicitation involved.” Kim Gi-hyeon also asserted, “My wife gave the gift to the First Lady as a matter of social etiquette as the spouse of the new party leader. Neither I nor my wife had any reason or content to solicit Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, especially since I had already been elected as party leader.”
The special prosecutor’s team plans to analyze the seized items as part of the investigation. A team official stated, “We are currently preparing an investigation plan regarding the confiscated items.”
The special prosecutor’s team also intends to examine whether Kim Keon Hee and the presidential office intervened to help Kim Gi-hyeon win the March 8, 2023 party convention. At the time of his candidacy announcement, Kim Gi-hyeon was polling low but ultimately won with a majority, leveraging support from Yoon Suk Yeol. Investigators suspect that Kim Keon Hee may have accepted valuables and, together with Yoon Suk Yeol, intervened in the party convention. On the 7th, the team indicted Kim Keon Hee for allegedly conspiring with Jeon Sung-bae, a fortune teller, and Hak Ja Han, president of the Unification Church, to facilitate the mass admission of Unification Church members into the People Power Party to support Kim Gi-hyeon’s election. The team will also investigate whether Kim Gi-hyeon was aware of the Unification Church members joining in advance.
To pursue these charges, the special prosecutor’s team is reviewing the application of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes for Acceptance of Bribe for Mediation. Although the search was conducted with Kim Keon Hee as a suspect under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, current law does not provide for punishment of a public official’s spouse for accepting valuables. If the law is applied, only Kim Gi-hyeon, who delivered the bag, could be prosecuted. If the law is applied to Kim Keon Hee, the focus may shift to whether Yoon Suk Yeol knew about the gift and failed to report it.
Acceptance of Bribe for Mediation punishes mediation by ordinary citizens, so Kim Keon Hee could be subject to prosecution only if it is proven that Yoon Suk Yeol was asked to help Kim Gi-hyeon win the party leadership. Ultimately, the key issues are whether Kim Gi-hyeon delivered the gift to Kim Keon Hee to secure the party leadership, whether Kim Keon Hee requested Yoon Suk Yeol’s intervention, and whether Yoon Suk Yeol used the presidential office to influence the election. Resolving these questions will be critical in this investigation.
However, legal experts remain skeptical. Because the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act targets public officials, it will be difficult to prove the charges against Kim Keon Hee, who was not a public official. Furthermore, given the investigation’s time constraints, it will be challenging to prove that Yoon Suk Yeol intervened in the party convention at Kim Keon Hee’s request. Kim Gi-hyeon’s side also claims the gift was given after the convention, making it difficult to confirm whether any quid pro quo or solicitation occurred before the event. A criminal lawyer in Seocho-dong commented, “It seems unlikely that either the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act or Acceptance of Bribe for Mediation can be applied. Even in the case of post-event gifts, documentary or audio evidence is needed, but such proof is lacking. While Yoon Suk Yeol could be targeted, it appears unlikely for Kim Keon Hee.”
theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter