Did former First Lady Kim Jeong Sook steal clothing from her diplomatic visit to India in 2018? No, that's not true: former First Lady Kim Jeong Sook altered the sari she was gifted by the former First Lady of India Savita Kovind into a blouse and wore it to a diplomatic luncheon with Kovind in 2018.
The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) where it was published on June 5, 2024, under the title "김정숙의 옷 절도 사건," or "Kim Jeong Sook's Clothing Theft Case," as translated into English by Lead Stories staff. The video claimed Kim's decision to alter the gift she received from Kovind violated the Presidential Records Management Act, as translated from Korean into English by Lead Stories staff:
There was nothing that went right when Kim Jeong Sook went to India. There was a problem with the clothing she wore, too. During Kim Jeong Sook's first visit to India, she received a sari, a traditional Indian garment, as a gift. This is a fabric that is more than ten meters long. According to Korean law, gifts received as state guests must be handed over to the Presidential Archives, and damaging these gifts is out of the question. This is all included in the Presidential Records Management Act. If the gifts are damaged or exposed in any way, this is punishable by up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won. But this was the moment Kim Jeong Sook's true personality was revealed. "It's a gift I received, so I can't do what I want with it? If I make the gift into a blouse and wear it, then they [India] will like it more. Make the gift into a blouse." Kim Jeong Sook took the presidential plane alone and wore the blouse the second time she visited India. "Ta-da, I made the gift you got me into a blouse. Isn't it pretty?" What is it like to damage a gift at will and casually show it to them? "The gift you gave me wasn't pretty, so I made it into a blouse." This is an attitude of disrespect, and the bigger problem was that Kim took this blouse home with her. Did anyone try to stop her?
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue Jun 25 14:01:52 2024 UTC)
The claim arose as Kim's first solo trip to India stirred controversy (archived here) following former President Moon Jae In's recent memoir (released in May 2024) that detailed and praised his wife's first solo diplomatic trip. The People Power Party criticized Kim for using an extravagant amount of taxpayers' money to fund her so-called "luxury in-flight meals" (archived here) on her solo trip to India, which Lead Stories staff previously reported. People Power Party lawmaker Kim Seok Ki further scrutinized Kim's solo trip to India as he held a press conference (archived here) on June 5, 2024, calling for a special prosecution on allegations of unauthorized release of presidential records. PPP lawmaker Kim stated, as translated from Korean into English by Lead Stories staff:
There were a total of 13 items transferred and stored by the Presidential Archives related to the saris former First Lady Kim received as gifts from the former Indian president's wife, and among these, the altered blouse worn by Kim was not kept.
The Presidential Records Management Act (archived here) refers to articles and records produced and received by the following organizations: the president, the president's assistance agencies, advisory agencies, and organizations that perform security duties. The articles and records refer to presidential symbols with national preservation value, presidential gifts received from citizens in connection with the performance of the president's duties, and the president's private records. Private records include the president's private diary or documents related to the president's political activities that do not directly affect the president's duties.
In 2018, The Blue House, the former official residence and executive office of the President of the Republic of Korea, posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) (archived here) the red blouse made from one of the saris gifted by Kovind that Kim wore to a luncheon in India. The post also included Kim's explanation of the meaning behind the altered blouse, as translated from Korean into English by Lead Stories staff: "I made the blouse on purpose for the prosperity of Korea and India, and I will wear it well."
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Tue Jun 25 14:37:08 2024 UTC)
The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs also posted a press release (archived here) about Kim's attendance at the luncheon hosted by Kovind on November 5, 2018. The post also articulated the significance of the altered sari as Kim made it into a blouse with "hope that Koreans would share the philosophy and culture of India and that the two countries would be able to cultivate closer ties." During this luncheon, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported that Korean songs were performed with Indian traditional instruments to "convey the symbolism of Kim's visit to India and the long-running special relations between the two countries."
Although the sari is considered a diplomatic gift and applicable under the Presidential Records Management Act, it was not damaged or used for personal purposes. Rather, the sari was repurposed into a blouse for diplomatic reasons, as former President Moon Jae In posted on both X (archived here) and Facebook (archived here) on June 6, 2024, outlining the significance of the repurposed blouse.
Moon stated that his wife wore the altered sari to several official diplomatic events, including a meeting with the former Indian foreign minister, and an IT technology-based class at the ASN Comprehensive School in New Dehli (archived here). In the Facebook post, Moon stated the alteration of the sari was a form of fashion diplomacy, as he also wore a traditional Indian garment vest gifted by former Prime Minister Modi. Moon also stated that according to media reports at the time, congressmen confirmed in July 2018 (after Kim's first visit to India) that out of the 13 sets of saris, Kim received as gifts, all except for the altered sari were kept as presidential records. Moon claimed that The Blue House treated the saris as presidential records rather than personal belongings at the time and that the singular altered sari served good diplomatic purposes. At the end of the Facebook post, Moon wrote, as translated from Korean into English by Lead Stories staff:
Is this to blame? Isn't it good? What's more, isn't it pathetic to criticize something that happened six years ago and insist on a special prosecution? Let's do some decent politics, please.
