Special Prosecutor Raids Supreme Prosecutors' Office, Ministry of Justice Over First Lady's Dior Bag Allegations

The second consolidated special probe team, investigating allegations of the First Lady Kim Keon-hee receiving luxury bags, has launched a forceful investigation by conducting searches and seizures at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Ministry of Justice. These searches are measures to clarify controversies surrounding a lenient investigation of Mrs. Kim by the prosecution team in the past and suspicions of external pressure from the leadership. The second special probe team led by Kwon Chang-young dispatched investigators on the 6th to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Prosecutor's Bureau at the Ministry of Justice in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to execute search and seizure warrants and secure relevant materials.

At the time, the prosecution team conducted the investigation in a controlled state, including being dispatched to a 'third location,' an annex facility of the Presidential Security Service in July 2024, and returning mobile phones and identification cards as requested by the security service. Although circumstances of Mrs. Kim receiving a luxury bag from Pastor Choi Jae-young were revealed in September 2022, the prosecution dropped the case in October 2024, citing a lack of work-related connection and compensation, raising suspicions of an attempted cover-up.

Separately from the searches and seizures at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Ministry of Justice on the 6th, the second consolidated special probe team also inspected facilities on Yeonpyeong Island as part of their investigation into defendant Noh Sang-won, former commander of the National Intelligence Agency, for alleged insurrection-related charges.