< p>In a rare interview, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said First Lady Kim Keon-hee was actually the victim of a politically motivated trap to damage his reputation before the important parliamentary elections taking place next April.
The incident became known last November through a video filmed in 2022 and appeared on the left-wing YouTube channel . Video shows a Korean-American pastor giving Ms. Kim a Dior bag worth $2,200 at her company office in Seoul.
The gift giver, pastor Choi Jae-young, said he decided to film this meeting to collect evidence of Ms. Kim’s “corrupt behavior” after witnessing her talking on the phone with an unknown person to discuss the appointment of personnel to the departments. key government positions.
The two people knew each other and their families had a long-standing relationship. Mr. Choi occasionally visits Korea to carry out humanitarian and missionary activities. He used a hidden camera attached to his watch to record the video.
The interview with President Yoon was filmed on February 4 and broadcast on the evening of February 7 by the station. KBS national television.
“After Pastor Choi repeatedly begged to visit her, she couldn’t coldly refuse him,” Mr. Yoon said. When asked if his wife had an argument about the handbag issue, Mr. Yoon smiled and replied: “Not at all.”
A spokesman for the presidential office previously told domestic media that The gifts that Yoon and his wife received belonged to the state and were automatically put into storage, so First Lady Kim did not violate the law because she did not keep the bag.
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