Chief prosecutor in first lady's Dior bag scandal resigns

The chief prosecutor of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, who was overseeing the Dior bag scandal involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, has expressed an intent to resign, further deepening the leadership vacuum within the organization.

Song Chang-jin, one of the chief prosecutors at the CIO submitted his resignation earlier this week for personal reasons, according to the legal community on Friday.

If accepted, the resignation will leave the CIO with just two of its seven allotted chief prosecutor positions filled, raising concerns about the agency's capacity to handle ongoing investigations.

The CIO, a key government body responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes involving high-ranking officials or their family members, has faced a series of resignations among top prosecutors.

Song's division had been responsible for investigating allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee, including accusations of improper acceptance of a luxury handbag.

Specifically, the CIO is investigating claims that Kim received a Christian Dior handbag, valued at around 3 million won ($2,240), from an individual surnamed Choi. It is alleged that Choi secretly filmed the exchange using a hidden camera in September 2022, following President Yoon's inauguration in May of that year. The scandal was first reported in November 2022 by the liberal YouTube news channel, Voice of Seoul, which suggested that Kim's acceptance of the handbag might have violated antigraft laws.

Song's resignation follows that of Kim Sang-cheon, another prosecutor involved in the Dior bag case, who left the agency late last month. These departures have raised concerns that critical cases could face delays or a lack of direction.

The CIO plans to reallocate personnel early next week and redistribute cases, including the luxury handbag investigation, the CIO said.

In response to these staffing challenges, the CIO announced plans in September to hire one chief prosecutor and two junior prosecutors, and is currently awaiting approval for these positions from President Yoon Suk Yeol. Separately, the CIO is also in the process of hiring an additional three chief prosecutors and five junior prosecutors.