Prosecution Indicts Yoon Seok-yeol Again for Failing to Report Kim Keon-hee's Luxury Handbag

Prosecution Declines to Indict on Deutsche Motors False Statement Charges

The prosecution has filed additional charges against former President Yoon Suk-yeol for failing to report that his spouse, Kim Keon Hee, received a luxury handbag, despite being aware of the incident.

The third anti-corruption investigation division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (headed by Chief Prosecutor Kim Jin-yong) announced on September 17, 2026, that former President Yoon had been indicted without detention on charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. According to prosecutors, Yoon is accused of knowing during his presidency that Mrs. Kim received a luxury handbag from Pastor Choi Jae-young, but failing to fulfill his obligation to report the matter under the act.

Former President Yoon Suk-yeol.

The prosecution determined that there is a connection between Mrs. Kim’s receiving the luxury handbag and the official duties of the president. This judgment was based on Pastor Choi’s testimony in court and the ruling by the bench at Mrs. Kim’s influence-peddling trial in June 2026, which acknowledged the relevance to official duties. The prosecution stated, "After the initial decision not to indict, we re-examined the case based on additional witness statements and relevant court rulings obtained during the renewed investigation. We concluded that there is sufficient evidence to believe that a connection to official duties can be established regarding the spouse’s acceptance of valuables, and that former President Yoon failed to report it despite knowing about the incident."

This case had previously been closed without indictment in October 2024, partly on the grounds that there was no recognized connection between Mrs. Kim's receipt of the handbag and the presidential duties. However, the special prosecutor's team on Kim Keon Hee reopened the investigation, after which the National Police Agency's "Special Task Force for Three Major Cases" continued the probe once the special investigation concluded. In June 2026, the police referred the case to the prosecution, citing former President Yoon's alleged violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

However, the prosecution found no basis for charges concerning former President Yoon’s statements about the Deutsche Motors stock transactions. This was because the stock trades mentioned by Yoon took place at a different time from the trades for which Mrs. Kim was convicted of market manipulation, and most of those trades occurred before their marriage, making it difficult to prove that Yoon had direct knowledge of the transactions at that time.

The prosecution explained, "To be charged with making false statements under the Public Official Election Act, it must be proven not only that the statement was objectively untrue but also that the suspect was aware of its falsehood. The transactions at issue and those found guilty of stock manipulation differ in both subject and timing, and there is insufficient evidence to show that former President Yoon reviewed the relevant materials."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.