Kim Keon Hee’s secretary under the microscope in handbag investigation

 
Prosecutors investigating influence-peddling allegations involving shaman Jeon Seong-bae, also known as “Geon Jin,” are zeroing in on a close aide to ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee.
 
The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office’s virtual asset crime task force unit recently questioned Kim’s secretary, identified only by the surname Yoo, along with Jeon, and as part of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding a Chanel handbag worth approximately 10 million won ($7,200), which was allegedly delivered to Kim from a member of a Unification Church through Jeon.
 

Prior to questioning Yoo and Jeon about the bag’s whereabouts, prosecutors obtained serial numbers and other details after raiding Chanel Korea. They uncovered indications that Yoo exchanged the original handbag — initially purchased by the sister-in-law of a former Unification Church global executive named Yoon — for a different Chanel product on two occasions, each time paying an additional fee. Yoo is believed to have paid 1 million won and 2 million won, respectively, to exchange the bag.
 

 
Prosecutors suspect that the Unification Church may have used Jeon as a middleman to offer the luxury gift to the first lady in a possible attempt to secure business favors from the former presidential couple.
 
Legal insiders say Yoo’s testimony could play a decisive role in determining whether prosecutors open a formal investigation into Kim.
 
However, prosecutors are casting doubt on the credibility of the testimonies from Yoo and Jeon. Yoo has worked as the former first lady’s personal secretary for over 10 years, since Kim ran Covana Contents, the company she founded before her husband was elected president.
 
Prosecutors are examining the possibility that Yoo and Jeon coordinated their statements in advance to shield Kim, particularly as both have past ties to Covana Contents, where Jeon once served as an adviser.
 
The shaman allegedly told investigators, “I paid the extra 3 million won myself.”
 
Yoo, when recently questioned as a witness, reportedly explained, “Jeon ordered me to change the bags, but it had nothing to do with Kim.”
 
However, prosecutors are skeptical about the credibility of both testimonies. Yoo is known as Kim’s closest aide — often referred to as “Secretary Yoo” by those close to Kim — raising suspicions that her response may be a scapegoating tactic or that she may have coordinated her account with Jeon in advance.
 

 
After former President Yoon Suk Yeol was inaugurated, Yoo followed Kim to her new role as first lady and was appointed as an administrative officer. Then Yoo was transferred to an office newly established to assist the first lady in November 2023.
 
“I remember Yoo as one of the closest aides to the first lady, managing her key appointments, receiving her full trust,” said Choi Jae-young, the pastor who previously gave a Dior handbag to Kim. “Yoo is like Kim’s shadow, her right hand.”
 
Prosecutors are particularly skeptical that Jeon, a private citizen, could have instructed a sitting presidential aide to handle something as sensitive as exchanging a luxury handbag. Investigators are expected to summon Yoo again to determine whether Kim was directly involved in receiving or exchanging the Chanel bag, and to clarify the nature of Yoo’s relationship with Jeon. They also plan to summon a former presidential aide, identified only as Cho, for questioning as part of the ongoing search for the handbag’s whereabouts.
 

 
Legal analysts warn that coordinated statements from Jeon and Yoo could backfire, potentially validating concerns over shadowy networks of influence. During questioning, Jeon denied accusations that he acted as a political broker, claiming instead that “people were simply mistaken when they sought me out.”
 

 
Prosecutors are also accelerating their probe into Jeon’s alleged involvement in the 2022 local election nominations and presidential office appointments. They suspect Jeon used his purported connection to the first couple to exert political influence. A political figure accused of lobbying Jeon to secure a nomination told the JoongAng Ilbo that “Jeon was said to hold more sway than anyone after Kim Keon Hee and Yoon Suk Yeol themselves.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE CHAN-KYU, SON SUNG-BAE, LEE AH-MI [[email protected]]

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