Special Prosecutor's Office: "Seohee Construction purchased Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and provided it to First Lady Kim Kun-hee"
The special investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki, which is focusing on 16 charges against former President Yoon Suk-yeol's spouse, First Lady Kim Kun-hee, has received a very important confession from Seohee Construction.
On the 12th, the special prosecutor's office announced that they had received a confession statement from Seohee Construction stating, “We purchased a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and provided it to First Lady Kim Kun-hee.”
Special Prosecutor Oh Jung-hee stated in a briefing after the pre-arrest interrogation of Kim Kun-hee that “Yesterday, we conducted a search and seizure of Seohee Construction on bribery charges, and the company submitted a confession recognizing that they provided the necklace to Kim Kun-hee.”
Voluntary submission of the genuine necklace… Presented alongside a counterfeit in court
According to the special prosecutor's office, Seohee Construction voluntarily submitted the physical necklace that they had provided to Kim Kun-hee and retrieved several years later, and the special prosecutor's office seized it.
During the court examination that day, the genuine necklace and a counterfeit of the same model found at the residence of Kim’s relatives were presented together.
Prosecutor Oh stated, “Kim Kun-hee's side claimed that the necklace she wore during the NATO summit was a counterfeit bought in Hong Kong 20 years ago, but it is clear that she wore the genuine one,” and added, “We will thoroughly investigate the circumstances under which the counterfeit was found at the relative’s house, as well as whether there has been any obstruction of the investigation or destruction of evidence by Kim Kun-hee and those involved.”
Worn during NATO summit → Controversy over omitted asset declaration → Expanding bribery allegations
The necklace in question was worn by Kim Kun-hee during the NATO summit in Spain in June 2022, initially raising suspicions of an omitted asset declaration, and recently expanding into allegations of bribery.
The special prosecutor's office confirmed that an employee from Seohee Construction purchased the same product shortly after the presidential election and conducted a search and seizure the day before.
Prosecutor Oh emphasized, “We believe that the series of actions by Kim Kun-hee and her associates constitute obstruction of the investigation, and we will concentrate our investigative efforts accordingly.”
Image sources: First Lady Kim Kun-hee wearing a Van Cleef necklace / JTBC, First Lady Kim Kun-hee wearing a Van Cleef necklace / Photo credit: Presidential Office, First Lady Kim Kun-hee exiting the court after her pre-arrest interrogation / News1, Photo: Presidential Office
