Jung Sin-bae, also known as "Gun-Jin Beopsa," Handed Luxury Bag to Kim Geon-hee's Secretary
It has been reported that the prosecution is investigating the circumstances in which Jung Sin-bae, known as "Gun-Jin Beopsa," handed a luxury bag, received from a member of the Unification Church, to Kim Geon-hee's secretary.
According to the legal community on the 20th, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office's Joint Investigation Team for Virtual Asset Crimes, led by Prosecutor Park Geon-wook, has confirmed that Yoo, Kim Geon-hee's closest secretary, received a Chanel bag worth around 10 million won from Jung and is expanding its investigation.
During the process of tracing the origin of the Chanel bag, the prosecution found that Yoo had exchanged the bag she received from Jung for another Chanel product by adding a premium.
Recently, through a search and seizure at Chanel Korea's headquarters, authorities secured the serial number of the relevant bag and traced it back, confirming that the bag Yoo used after the exchange was identical to the one purchased by the Unification Church.
The prosecution believes that Yoon, a former global head of the Unification Church, delivered a Chanel bag worth around 10 million won, a Graff diamond necklace worth around 60 million won, and a concentrated ginseng extract to Kim Geon-hee through Jung shortly after Yoon Suk-yeol was elected president.
Concerns have been raised regarding the background of these high-value gifts, suggesting attempts to solicit favors related to Cambodia's Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects.
Notably, Jung has claimed during previous police investigations that he "lost" the necklace and bag he received from Yoon, creating discrepancies between Jung's statements and the actual circumstances now revealed by the prosecution's investigation.
Yoo, known as Kim Geon-hee's close aide even before Yoon's presidency, is expected to play a crucial role in uncovering the truth of this matter.
The prosecution is focusing its efforts on clarifying the delivery route and purpose of the luxury bags through investigations of Yoo.
Kim Geon-hee's side Strongly Denies Receiving Bag
In relation to this, Kim Geon-hee's side released a statement asserting, "There is no fact that we received Chanel bags or any items from Gun-Jin Beopsa," strongly denying the allegations.
They expressed regret over reports that distort facts by selectively extracting certain information and requested media outlets to refrain from speculative reporting related to this incident.
Furthermore, they expressed serious concerns over the leaking of investigation schedules and contents related to specific media outlets.
The prosecution is currently focusing their investigation on clarifying the connections between the Unification Church members, Jung Sin-bae, and Kim Geon-hee's secretary, as well as confirming the intent behind the provision of these high-value gifts and whether they were actually delivered.
Depending on the results of the future investigation, it cannot be ruled out that legal actions against those involved may follow.
Image source: Jung Sin-bae, charged without detention for receiving illegal political funds, attends his second trial at the Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, on May 12. (Joint coverage) 2025.5.12 / News1, Material photo to aid understanding of the article / News1, Former President Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Geon-hee are seen leaving the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a week after the Constitutional Court's dismissal decision on the afternoon of last month, the 11th / News1 (Joint coverage)
