South Korea investigates if former first lady used taxpayer money for 2018 India trip

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it would pursue a complaint filed against Kim by a lawmaker from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) to determine if the visit involved abuse of power and public money.

“So I declined, and India then asked me to send my wife instead,” he said.

The former president called the tour as “the first stand-alone diplomacy by a first lady”, adding he decided to break his silence about the incident to rebut critics who “distort the facts as if my wife went on a junket using taxpayer money”.

But that explanation failed to convince the PPP which has maintained the 400 million won (US$290,506) trip was organised to fulfil Kim’s wish to see the ivory-coloured marble mausole­um in northern India’s Agra.

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South Korean president Yoon defends wife over Dior bag scandal

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced on Monday the closure of the case against Yoon’s wife, citing a lack of legal provisions to hold spouses of elected public officials accountable.

The opposition said the decision was “disastrous” and questioned the agency’s impartiality, The Korea Herald reported.

“The DPK will swiftly push for a special counsel probe into cases involving Kim to prevent her from running away,” lawmaker Yoon Jong-kun said, referring to other allegations faced by her that included tax evasion.

Prosecutor general Lee One-seok said on Tuesday his department would continue the investigation into the handbag saga and determine why the anti-corruption agency dismissed the case.