Rep. Kim Ki-hyun of the People's Power said on the 8th that his wife presented the clutch bag to Kim Gun-hee after he was elected as the party leader in March 2023 regarding the clutch bag seized by the special prosecutor team Min Min-ki at the home of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Rep. Kim said in a statement on the day, "As a spouse of the new ruling party leader, I gave it to the president's wife as a social courtesy," adding, "I enclosed a memo with a simple greeting as a way to say good words, thinking that it is necessary for the ruling party leader and the president to cooperate smoothly."
Representative Kim said, "There was no reason for me or my wife, who was already elected as the leader of the ruling party, to ask former President Yoon and his wife," adding, "My wife's gift to Kim was a greeting between spouses and has no meaning beyond that." He added, "I hope Min Joong-ki, the special prosecutor, is not playing media to turn his attention when he faces public criticism over allegations of stock investment fraud."
The special prosecutor confiscated clutch bags from luxury brand Roger B.B. at the home of former President Yoon and his wife on the 6th, and reportedly found a thank-you letter.
Meanwhile, Kim Gun-hee said in a notice later in the day, "At that time, the new representative Kim delivered a clutch bag worth 1 million won to convey greetings to the president's spouse," but added, "This was a gift at the social and ceremonial level, not for any compensatory purpose, and there was no request."
Reporter Yeom Yoo-seop ([email protected] )
I was wondering how someone who didn’t seem to belong to any particular faction—just one of Yoon’s allies—ended up becoming the party leader. Turns out, networking really is everything.
Even things like prosecutors receiving sponsorships—if there’s no explicit request or favor involved at the time of exchanging money or gifts, it’s just considered a “present,” apparently.
The People Power Party never ceases to amaze.
By the way, I’ve never heard of anything like this happening in the Democratic Party. Is this a tradition unique to the People Power Party, or is it just a Yoon Suk-yeol thing? Makes you wonder.