President of South Korea dismisses ‘Dior Bag Scandal’ as political maneuver

• The act was deemed “regrettable” but Yoon refrained from offering an apology.
• The scandal dubbed the “Dior bag scandal,” has left citizens disappointed and the opposition incensed.
• Some individuals voiced disappointment on  Twitter.

President Yoon Suk Yeol labeled the leaked spy camera footage showing South Korea‘s first lady accepting a luxury bag gift as a “political maneuver.” He characterized the act as “regrettable” but refrained from offering an apology. Pressure mounted on him to address the issue, which has unsettled his ruling party in the lead-up to key elections in April.

His initial remarks on the matter, dubbed the “Dior bag scandal” by local media, left citizens disappointed and the opposition incensed. Last year, a left-wing YouTube channel, Voice of Seoul, released a video purportedly depicting First Lady Kim Keon Hee accepting a 3 million won ($2,200; £1,800) Dior bag from a pastor who clandestinely filmed the exchange in September 2022 using a camera concealed in his watch.

“The video [was made public] at a time when the general election is drawing near, a year after the issue happened, so we can see this as a political maneuver.” Mr Yoon told broadcaster KBS.

“The fact that she was unable to cold-heartedly reject him was the problem if one can call it a problem, and it is a little regrettable,” Mr Yoon said.

Some analysts have suggested that the scandal poses a threat to the prospects of Mr. Yoon’s conservative People Power Party in April’s legislative elections. The video emerged as his approval ratings were starting to recover.

Opposition Democratic Party:

The opposition Democratic Party criticized Mr. Yoon for failing to meet the public’s expectations of a sincere apology.

“The president’s shameless attitude is hopeless,” the party’s spokesman Kwon Chil-seung said.

“It’s hard to say how long we will continue to watch the self-righteousness of a president who refuses to admit fault and apologize to the people,” Mr Kwon said.

Some individuals voiced disappointment on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“There was no apology for the Dior bag the whole country was waiting for,” according to one comment.

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