Prosecutors likely to drop charges against first lady, pastor in luxury bag scandal

Prosecutors are expected to announce their final decision next week to drop charges against both first lady Kim Keon Hee and a Korean American pastor in connection with the pastor's gift of a luxury bag to her, sources said Thursday. The announcement is expected to follow the final approval by Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung of the investigation result reported earlier in the day by Lee Chang-soo, the chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, legal sources said. The first lady and Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young have been under investigation for the pastor's gift of a Dior handbag worth 3 million won (US$2,254) and other expensive items to Kim at her office in 2022. Choi secretly filmed the meeting with a hidden camera and the video was later published by an online news media outlet last year. Lee reportedly submitted the conclusion that graft charges are not applicable to Kim because the gifts were not related to President Yoon Suk Yeol's official duties and no favors were exchanged in return. It was also reportedly concluded that charges cannot be pursued for Choi, and therefore, Yoon had no obligation to declare the gifts received by his wife. The reported conclusion followed the prosecution's independent investigation review committee's decision recommending Choi's indictment earlier this week. The unexpected recommendation was an embarrassment for the prosecution, as Choi's indictment could raise questions about the prosecution's tentative decision not to pursue charges against the first lady over the scandal. Prosecutors were reportedly leaning toward dropping charges against Choi as well, following a legal review, despite the panel's recommendation. Source: Yonhap News Agency