Dior bag scandal: South Korea first lady's gift has President Yoon under fire

President Yoon Suk Yeol's disapproval rating is climbing amid a scandal over a Dior handbag apparently accepted by first lady Kim Keon Hee as a gift from a pastor.

The Dior handbag costs some $2,000, but South Korea’s leader could pay a much higher price for the political scandal it has set off.

This crucial U.S. ally has been rocked by deepening fallout from hidden camera footage that appeared to show the country’s first lady accepting the luxury item as a gift. The incident has left President Yoon Suk Yeol facing mounting public pressure that could damage his right-wing party’s chances in crucial legislative elections that come amid rising threats from North Korea.

The video appeared to show first lady Kim Keon Hee accepting a blue-gray purse worth 3 million won ($2,250) from a Korean American pastor, the Rev. Choi Jae Young, during a visit in September 2022. It was secretly filmed by the pastor — an advocate of friendlier relations with the North, toward which Yoon has taken a hard-line approach — and first released by a left-wing YouTube news channel in November. 

But the video has re-emerged in recent days to dominate the country’s polarized political landscape. 

One of the leading members in Yoon’s own People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, also joined calls for the public’s concerns to be addressed.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/dior-bag-scandal-south-korea-first-lady-gift-rcna135441

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