South Korea's first lady faces criticism within govt over receiving Dior bag from pastor

South Korea's First Lady Kim Keon-hee is facing criticism within the ruling People Power Party (PPP) over accepting a Dior handbag from a pastor in 2022, a report by The Korea Times said onSaturday (Jan 20). PPP interim leader Han Dong-hoon told reporters that First Lady Kim's handbag controversy can be a matter of public concern.

"Basically, the matter was a planned set-up using a spy cam. However, there were several misdeeds in handling the issues," Han said to the media on Thursday(Jan 18).Neither Kim nor her husband and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol have spoken on this controversy so far.

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What happened

Voice of Seoul, a YouTube-based news channel, said in November last year that Kim had been gifted the Dior handbag from a Korean-American pastor in 2022. The bag was valued at 3 million won ($2,240). A video of the first lady accepting this gift was filmed secretly by the pastor using a camera disguised as a watch. The handbag was provided by the Voice of Seoul, The Korea Times reported.

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This controversy re-erupted after newcomers to the PPP were critical of the bag issue, the report added. In an interview with JTBC broadcaster on Wednesday, Kim Kyung-yul, a member of the PPP’s interim leadership, said that President Yoon or his wife should state their position about the bag controversy.

"The French Revolution was an outcome of public uproar over Marie Antoinette’s luxurious life and disorderly privacy. There is no way of defending the first lady from this controversy. The only option is begging for the people’s mercy," saidKim Kyung-yul.

Another PPP leader Lee Soo-jung said that the First Lady Kim should explain the situation, return the gift if she still owns it, and apologise to the people.

Earlier, the PPP had maintained the bag controversy was a planned setup and the first lady was a victim, hence there was no need to address the issue.

Kim not new to controversies

Kim Keon-hee was embroiled in multiple controversies before she even became South Korea's first lady. Some of the controversies date back to Kim's college days when her academic writings came under scrutiny for suspected plagiarism. She has been named in cases related to tax evasion and stock market manipulation.

She even had to make a televised apology for overstating her work experience for jobs.

(With inputs from agencies)