Kim Geon-hee's Necklace Controversy, Special Prosecutor's Team Secures Evidence
The special prosecution team led by Min Jung-ki has secured important evidence in the investigation into allegations related to Kim Geon-hee.
On the 25th, the special prosecution team discovered a high-priced necklace that Kim Geon-hee wore during a past overseas trip at the home of her brother Kim's mother-in-law. This piece is one of the accessories that Kim Geon-hee's camp claimed were "all replicas and lost" after being directly purchased.
According to an investigation by the Kyunghyang Shinmun on the 27th, it was confirmed that the jewelry Kim Geon-hee wore during her NATO trip in June 2022 includes a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace worth around 60 million KRW, a Cartier bracelet worth around 10 million KRW, and a Tiffany & Co. brooch worth around 20 million KRW. If these high-priced items are genuine, they would fall under the property disclosure requirement (for items over 5 million KRW), but former President Yoon did not report them. When the controversy arose, the presidential office stated that "some were borrowed from acquaintances."
Questions Regarding Authenticity and Storage
In May, Kim Geon-hee's camp submitted a statement to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office, which was investigating the case, claiming that the necklace worn during the NATO summit was "all replicas and lost."
In this statement, Kim Geon-hee's side asserted, "It was not borrowed from acquaintances, but directly purchased," adding that "since it is a replica, it was stored carelessly and we do not know where it is." The statement also included a promise, "If found, we will submit it."
Based on this statement, the special prosecution team initiated verification efforts and successfully secured the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace stored in a case on the 25th. However, Kim Geon-hee's side continues to assert that the necklace is a replica.
As grounds for this claim, they pointed out that the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace lacks a "unique identification number (serial number)." It is commonly known that most high-end luxury brands assign unique identification numbers to their products.
Now that the special prosecution team has secured the physical evidence, they are focusing their investigation on identifying the seller.
Kim Geon-hee's side explained the reason for wearing a "replica" by stating, "First ladies from other countries also wear them, so I couldn’t avoid it," saying it matched well with her outfit. However, when asked about how the necklace ended up stored at her brother's mother-in-law's house, they evaded the question by replying, "We cannot discuss that at this time."
Meanwhile, the Kim Geon-hee special prosecution team summoned former presidential office administrators Yoo Mo and Jung Mo on the 25th to investigate the circumstances of wearing the jewelry during the trip and related allegations overall. Reports indicate that the special prosecution is also investigating the circumstances under which Lee Won-mo, who was the presidential secretary for personnel at that time, had his wife board the presidential plane as a civilian during the NATO trip.
Image Source: President Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Geon-hee during the NATO summit trip / Presidential office of the Yoon Suk-yeol government, June 2022, former President Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Geon-hee receiving applause during a dinner meeting with Spanish compatriots in Madrid. / News1
