People Power Party lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun said on the 8th that, regarding the clutch bag seized by special counsel Min Joong-ki's special counsel team from the home of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his spouse as part of its probe into various allegations involving Kim Keon-hee, "After I was elected party leader in March 2023, my wife gave Ms. Kim one clutch bag as a gift."
In a statement that day, Kim said, "As the spouse of the new ruling party leader, it was a gift to the president's wife as a matter of social courtesy," adding, "Believing it necessary for the ruling party leader and the president to cooperate smoothly on work, my wife enclosed a memo with a brief greeting in the nature of well-wishing remarks."
The clutch bag that Kim's wife gave to Ms. Kim is known to be a Roger Vivier product priced in the 1 million won range.
Kim emphasized, "Neither I, already elected as ruling party leader, nor my wife had anything to ask of the former president and his spouse, nor any reason to do so," adding, "The gift my wife gave Ms. Kim was merely a gesture of private courtesy between spouses, with no more and no less meaning than that."
Kim added, "I hope special counsel Min Joong-ki is not engaging in media play to distract attention after facing public criticism over his own alleged stock investment fraud."
Earlier, on the 6th, the special counsel team was said to have obtained a Roger Vivier clutch bag along with some accessories, including 16 Dior jackets from the French luxury brand, four bracelets, and one belt set, from Ms. Kim's residence.
Ms. Kim's side criticized, "While we understand that the special counsel is pushing an excessive separate investigation ahead of the bail hearing, we express deep concern that some media reports are excessively speculating and inflating the matter as if there were private exchanges or quid pro quo."