In late 2023, the left-wing YouTube channel ‘Voice of Seoul’ released a video showing Pastor Kim receiving a Dior bag worth 3 million won ($2,200, £1,800) from a pastor, who in September 2022 had a camera hidden in his watch. The exchange was filmed using .
Mr. Yoon did not apologize even though he said in February that the video was leaked as a ‘political operation’.
At the time, the Democratic Party of Korea, the opposition party of the conservative People Power Party led by Representative Yoon, labeled the president’s “shameless attitude” as “hopeless.”
The scandal also caused a rift within Yoon’s party, with one leader comparing Ms. Kim to Marie Antoinette, the French queen notorious for her extravagant lifestyle.
The opposition party has also long accused the first lady of being involved in stock price manipulation. Earlier this year, Rep. Yoon vetoed a bill calling for his wife to be investigated for these allegations.
