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Investigation into ex-first lady's Chanel bag scandal expands to shoes

Published: 16 Jun. 2025, 17:27

Shaman Jeon Seong-bae attends a trial at the Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, on May 12. [YONHAP]

The two Chanel bags given as gifts to former first lady Kim Keon Hee by the Unification Church through shaman Jeon Seong-bae were reportedly exchanged for three other bags and a pair of shoes from the same brand — and prosecutors believe the shoes, if found, could become a critical piece of evidence.

According to legal sources on Monday, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office recently grilled shaman Jeon over Chanel exchange records and pressed him on transaction details.

Jeon claimed he handed over the two bags he got from a former Unification Church global headquarters chief, surnamed Yoon, to a former administrative aide surnamed Yoo who served as Kim’s personal secretary, asking him to exchange them for different items.

Prosecutors have confirmed that Yoo visited Chanel stores in April and July 2022 to exchange the bags and received in return three new bags and one pair of shoes. While the bag exchanges had been previously reported, this is the first time the shoes have entered the picture.

Investigators are focusing on the size of the shoes, as a match with Kim’s shoe size could suggest she was involved in the exchange and possibly directed it. This would contradict Jeon’s claim that he never delivered any gifts to the first lady. Prosecutors suspect Kim may have been aware of the gifts and ordered Yoo to exchange them.

If the shoes do not match Kim’s size, however, it could undermine the prosecution’s theory. Legal insiders have dubbed the inquiry the “Cinderella investigation,” as finding out whether the shoes fit Kim could prove decisive.

Jeon has insisted that Yoo lost all the Chanel items he exchanged. Prosecutors have yet to recover any of the products. Yoo, for his part, maintains that he was simply following Jeon’s request to “exchange the gifts for something that a young person would like.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]