A close aide to first lady Kim Keon Hee has claimed that Kim ordered the return of a Dior bag she received as a gift from a pastor on the same day it was given, sources said Monday.

Kim's aide, surnamed Yoo, made the statement during questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office in early July as part of the ongoing investigation into the luxury bag scandal, according to the legal sources.

The scandal centers on allegations that Kim illegally received a Dior handbag worth about 3 million won ($2,175) and other expensive gifts from pastor Choi Jae-young in September 2022 allegedly in exchange for favors.

Yoo conceded during questioning that the first lady did receive the handbag during a meeting with Choi but claimed the first lady ordered her to return it to the pastor on the afternoon of the same day the gift was delivered.

Yoo claimed she forgot to return the handbag because she was too busy with other tasks.

The handbag has since been stored by the presidential office.

Prosecutors are expected to verify if the first lady had indeed ordered the return and to determine why the handbag was not given back to Choi.

After further fact findings, prosecutors are also expected to determine when and how to question the first lady.

Kim's side argues that the investigation should be dropped, as there are no specific legal penalties for spouses of government officials accepting gifts, and no favors were granted in exchange for the Dior bag. (Yonhap)