President Yoon Suk Yeol has apologized for causing public concern with his wife’s “unwise conduct” in relation to First Lady Kim Keon-hee’s acceptance of a luxury bag from a pastor in 2022.

The president offered the apology on Thursday during a press conference at the top office, when asked about the scandal. 

As for the prosecution’s recent launch of an investigation into the scandal, Yoon refused to make any comment, saying that any comment could lead to misunderstandings that may have some impact on the probe.

Yoon voiced a negative stance to the opposition parties’ call for a special counsel probe into controversies surrounding his wife, saying that such a probe is only needed when there are suspicions of insufficient investigation by the prosecution, police or the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. 

Regarding the first lady’s alleged involvement in stock price manipulation, the president said that the previous government investigated the case thoroughly for about two and a half years, suggesting that the probe should be considered sufficient.