Prosecutor General Lee Takes Charge in South Korean First Lady’s ‘Dior Bag Scandal’

Prosecutor General Lee Won Seok has spoken out about the luxury bag bribery case involving Kim Keon Hee, the First Lady of South Korea.

On the 7th, Lee told reporters as he arrived at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho District, Seoul, “The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office investigative team will conduct a swift and strict investigation based solely on evidence and the law” and asked them to wait for the investigation’s results.

Previously, he had directed the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to form a dedicated investigative team to investigate the case involving the First Lady’s luxury bag swiftly.

Consequently, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has added three additional prosecutors from the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division, Fair Trade Investigation Division, and Crime Profit Recovery Division under the 4th Chief to the Criminal Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Kim Seung Ho), which is in charge of violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and suspicions of bribery involving President Yoon and the First Lady.

Attention is now focused on Prosecutor General Lee Won Seok.

As the inaugural Prosecutor General under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, he is a notable figure in the Yoon Suk Yeol faction, having worked together on major investigations during Yoon’s tenure in the prosecution.

He collaborated with Yoon on investigations, such as the 2007 Samsung slush fund, and served as the chief of the planning department during Yoon’s tenure as Prosecutor General.

A 27th-generation prosecutor and a contemporary of former Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, he hails from Boseong, Jeollanam-do, graduated from Seoul National University’s Department of Political Science and has held positions such as the head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Investigation Command Division, the head of the Central District Prosecutors’ Office’s Special Division 1, and the chief of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Planning Department.

In October 2016, when he was the head of Special Division 1, he joined the investigation team for the suspicions surrounding the Mir and K-Sports foundations, which were the starting point of the national scandal, and led the investigation in practice. He later directly investigated former President Park Geun Hye.

During his confirmation hearing for prosecutor general, Lee was nicknamed “the incorruptible servant of the people.” He enjoys walking and hiking, and according to insiders, he leads a frugal life, owning only one home and having no other significant assets.

Lee stated, “Neither my family nor I have ever held a golf club in our lives,” and “I have never owned more than one house,” asserting that he has never committed any wrongdoing. His children have not received any scholarships after graduating from general humanities high schools and entering university through regular admissions.

In March, Lee unusually held a lecture titled The Prosecutor General’s Tale of Integrity for about 700 civil servants in South Chungcheong Province.

Lee is known among prosecutors for his gentle approach to his subordinates. He shows no mercy regarding corruption and negligence.

Earlier, the YouTube channel Voice of Seoul secretly filmed Kim Keon Hee receiving a luxury pouch worth $2,500 from Korean-American pastor Choi Jae Young at the Kobana Contents office in September 2022 and released the footage in November last year.

Pastor Choi secretly filmed the exchange using a wristwatch camera, and the Voice of Seoul prepared the gift.

Subsequently, Voice of Seoul filed a complaint against Mrs. Kim and Yoon Suk Yeol for receiving gifts worth more than $830, violating the Anti-Graft Law.

As the controversy escalated, Yoon referred to the incident in a special interview in February as “political scheming with a hidden camera in a watch,” noting that “it is quite difficult for the president or the first lady to be rigid with anyone.”

Mrs. Kim has not been seen in public since the video was released. However, it was reported that she only attended a private event during the visit of the Romanian presidential couple last month.