Choi Jaeyoung Water Depth Committee to be Held on 24th... Effectively Kim Yeo-sa Water Depth Committee Part 2

The Key Issue at the 24th Investigation Committee Meeting is 'Job Relevance'... Fierce Debate Expected
If Acknowledged, Yoon's 'Unreported' Case Also Problematic... Non-Prosecution Recommendation Likely to Strengthen Prosecution

The convening of the Prosecutors' Investigation Deliberation Committee regarding Pastor Choi Jaeyoung, who delivered a luxury handbag to First Lady Kim Geonhee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, is just two days away. This deliberation is effectively considered the 'second round' of the committee concerning the First Lady's case, as the main issues are the same.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 22nd, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Investigation Deliberation Committee is scheduled to review on the 24th the agenda concerning whether to indict Pastor Choi, who is accused of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, defamation, trespassing, and obstruction of official duties by deception, and whether to continue the investigation. Although the subjects under review and participating committee members differ from those at the First Lady's committee on the 6th, the core issue remains the question of job relevance. Unlike the previous committee where both the prosecution and the First Lady's legal team maintained that there was no job relevance, this time, with Pastor Choi's side attending and holding opposing views, a fierce debate is expected.

However, an unusual scene is anticipated where the investigating prosecutors argue for non-prosecution, while the suspect, Pastor Choi's side, insists on prosecution. Pastor Choi's side claims that the Chanel cosmetics and perfume worth approximately 1.8 million KRW and the Dior handbag worth about 3 million KRW given to the First Lady are related to President Yoon's official duties, thus both the First Lady who received the gifts and Pastor Choi who gave them violated the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

Pastor Choi's side plans to argue that on June 20, 2022, the day he met the First Lady and gave her the Chanel cosmetics and perfume, he requested via KakaoTalk a meeting during the visit of a U.S. private diplomatic delegation and the appointment of former U.S. Congressman Kim Chang-jun as a national advisory committee member. In July, he also asked for a junior artist's artwork to be displayed at the presidential residence, suggesting that the First Lady was at least somewhat aware of the job relevance of the gifts.

Furthermore, after giving the Dior handbag on September 13 of the same year, Pastor Choi requested the posthumous interment of former Congressman Kim in the National Cemetery and the retransmission of Tongil TV, receiving limited responses. This, they argue, is sufficient circumstantial evidence to socially cast doubt on the fairness of official duties. On the other hand, the prosecution holds that the gifts given by Pastor Choi are unrelated to President Yoon's official duties, and legally, neither Pastor Choi nor the First Lady can be held responsible.

Pastor Choi has publicly stated that he approached the First Lady as part of 'undercover reporting' and testified during the investigation that the cosmetics and perfume were congratulatory gifts for the inauguration, and the handbag was a means for a meeting. Therefore, the prosecution views it as difficult to acknowledge that the gifts were given with the intent to realize a request related to President Yoon's official duties.

The prosecution is expected to argue that Pastor Choi approached the First Lady by leveraging a personal connection with his late father to build a private friendship, that at the time of giving the gifts, President Yoon was not a subject of official duties or that the gifts were not given to resolve specific pending issues, that the 'national advisory committee member' position does not exist, and that the request to resume Tongil TV broadcasts was made almost a year after the gift of the handbag, among other reasons.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Opinions are divided within the legal community regarding the job relevance of the luxury handbag. If the committee recommends indictment of Pastor Choi, public opinion may increase that the First Lady should also be indicted. The fact that President Yoon did not report the receipt of money or valuables related to his spouse's official duties could also become an issue again. There is also a possibility that the committee may not recognize job relevance but still recommend indictment of Pastor Choi. In such a case, the prosecution's burden would similarly increase. Conversely, if the committee recommends non-prosecution of Pastor Choi, the prosecution may be able to somewhat quell criticism and enhance the legitimacy and persuasiveness of the investigation results.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.