[News Today] Chanel Bag Exchange with 21Gram CEO’s Wife

[LEAD]
We reported how prosecutors uncovered first lady Kim Keon-hee's long-time administrative officer exchanged two Chanel bags for an extra fee. KBS has confirmed that someone accompanied her during the exchange. It was the wife of the CEO of 21 Gram, an interior design firm closely tied to Kim and previously embroiled in controversies under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

[REPORT]
Prosecutors have confirmed that at least two Chanel bags have been acquired by Yoo Kyung-ok, a long-time secretary of former first lady Kim Keon-hee and a former administrative officer of the presidential office, from shaman Jeon Seong-bae, known as Geonjin Beopsa.

The bag received in April 2022 was worth at the time around 8 million won. The other bag received in July that year was worth more than 12 million won.

Jeon has testified that Yoo paid extra to exchange both bags at his request.

Yoo visited a Chanel store along with a person from Yoon Suk Yeol's presidential campaign and paid around 800,000 won to exchange the bags.

When exchanging the second bag, she was accompanied by a so-called Chanel VVIP customer.

KBS has found that she is the spouse of the CEO of the interior design firm 21 Gram.

21 Gram won a no-bid contract for the relocation construction of Yoon's presidential residence in the early days of his term.

Yoo reportedly told prosecutors that she took the wife of the 21 Gram CEO with her to the Chanel store out of convenience because she was a VVIP customer.

The CEO's wife has declined to answer a reporter's phone call.

Wife of ‘21 Gram’ CEO / (VOICE MODIFIED)
I can't answer your call.

Prosecutors are investigating why the 21 Gram CEO’s wife accompanied the Chanel bag exchange and are also analyzing Yoo’s laptop, which was seized during a raid.