South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol addressed for the first time allegations surrounding first lady Kim Keon-hee’s acceptance of a luxury purse in 2022, describing the incident as a result of her failure to “cold-heartedly reject” a gift from a visitor who clandestinely filmed the encounter. In an interview with KBS TV that was filmed on Feb. 4 but aired on Wednesday, Yoon characterized the handbag, valued at around $2,200 (3 million won), as part of a “political maneuver,” emphasizing the need for clearer boundaries to prevent such incidents in the future.

Despite the incident’s potential implications for the ruling party’s