Doubts deepen over Dior bag investigation

A task force formed to restore credibility at South Korea’s Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said Friday it had confirmed that former Vice Chairperson and Secretary-General Jeong Seung-yoon met privately with former President Yoon Suk Yeol at the presidential residence in Yongsan during the commission’s investigation into former first lady Kim Keon Hee’s Dior handbag scandal.

The meeting reportedly took place three months before the commission concluded that the case did not violate South Korea’s anti-graft law. The task force also alleged that Jeong intentionally delayed the investigation and had already decided to close the case before the commission’s full panel convened to review the matter. The findings, released after a 54-day internal inquiry, are likely to deepen suspicions that the commission conducted a lenient investigation designed to protect Kim.

The Dior handbag case had already drawn criticism after the commission spent six months handling the matter, far exceeding the statutory investigation period, before closing it on the grounds that the anti-graft law contains no penalty provisions for spouses of public officials. Critics at the time condemned the probe as a “whitewash investigation.” The latest inquiry added to those concerns by suggesting Jeong met unofficially with Yoon and pushed for a conclusion favorable to Kim despite differing views from officials directly overseeing the case.

The revelations are expected to intensify criticism that the commission functioned less as an independent anti-corruption watchdog and more as an institution aligned with political power.

The task force also said Jeong improperly intervened in another politically charged case involving the emergency helicopter transfer of then-opposition leader Lee Jae-myung after he was stabbed in Busan while serving as leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

According to the task force, Jeong overruled working-level officials and instructed the agency to issue a notice of alleged violations of the public officials’ code of conduct regarding Lee’s transfer from Pusan National University Hospital to Seoul National University Hospital.

The task force further alleged workplace harassment involving a commission official who oversaw investigations into both the Dior handbag case and the helicopter transfer controversy.

That official died by suicide in August 2024 after leaving behind a note saying he was “having a hard time.” Whether the death was connected to unfair treatment, along with whether the commission’s handling of the Dior handbag investigation was lawful, should be fully examined through an independent investigation.

Jeong, now a law professor at Pusan National University and a candidate in the Busan superintendent of education election, previously worked alongside Yoon during his presidential campaign and on the presidential transition committee. Both men also attended Seoul National University’s law school. Those ties had already raised concerns over whether Jeong was an appropriate figure to serve in an agency responsible for monitoring corruption in public office.

Jeong dismissed Friday’s findings as “a political attack ahead of the election.” Still, as the central figure in the allegations, he will ultimately need to clear his name through the investigative process.