A reported video showing South Korea’s First Lady taking a Dior bag as a gift has sparked a political tempest for President Yoon Suk Yeol and his People Power Party (PPP), just weeks before the parliamentary election. In what is being dubbed the “Dior bag scandal,” some PPP members are pushing the president and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, to apologize, while others believe it was a set-up. The dispute originates from reported footage of Ms Kim Keon Hee getting a Dior bag worth $2,250 (Rs 1,87,023) as a gift. In South Korea, it is forbidden for public officials and their wives to receive gifts exceeding 1 million Won (Rs 62,152) at one time or a cumulative total of 3 million Won (Rs 1,86,456) within a fiscal year.
Analysts believe this may breach anti-bribery legislation. President Yoon’s supporters think it is a set-up and smear campaign. The incident was revealed in November via video footage made by Reverend Abraham Choi, a Korean-American pastor who met Kim Keon Hee to voice his worries over President Yoon’s North Korean policy.
PPP leader Kim Kyung-Yul also compared the First Lady to Marie Antoinette, known for her opulent lifestyle.
According to Reuters, Reverend Choi claimed that the only way to gain an audience with her was to give her fancy gifts. The Opposition Democratic Party used the matter to attack President Yoon and his party. Opposition leader Hong Ik-pyo noted that it makes no sense for the presidential office and the ruling party to disregard the situation, emphasizing that an apology is insufficient.
PPP leader Kim Kyung-Yul also compared the First Lady to Marie Antoinette, the infamous French monarch known for her opulent lifestyle. A recent poll suggested that 69% of eligible voters want the president to explain his wife’s activities, while an earlier survey in December found that 53% of respondents thought her behaviour was unacceptable, according to the BBC. President Yoon’s decision to keep silent, as well as his call for the resignation of a party leader due to internal conflicts, has sparked tensions inside the PPP. Some observers believe that this approach will become a focus point, jeopardising the party’s chances in the April 10 election.
The PPP confronts further hurdles, with Kim Keon Hee embroiled in suspicions of stock price manipulation from 12 years ago. The opposition-controlled parliament agreed to appoint a special prosecutor in this matter. Her previous troubles, including charges of fabricating professional records and plagiarism in her PhD thesis, had sparked widespread public outrage.