Hong Jun-pyo on 'Kim Geon-hee Controversy': "Is the First Lady Running for President?"

Yoon Seok-yeol says "Not worth answering" to 'Julie' testimony

Hong Joon-pyo, member of the People Power Party. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 9th, Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, criticized the controversy surrounding Kim Gun-hee, wife of People Power Party candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, asking, "Is the First Lady running for president?"

On the same day, at his 2030 political platform 'Youth's Dream,' Hong responded to a question asking, "If the controversy about Ms. Kim is true, can she be appointed as the nation's mother?" by saying, "That should be left to the candidate."

Regarding another question about reports that Ms. Kim had worked at entertainment establishments in the past and whether it was a rumor, Hong replied, "Kim Dae-up."

Kim Dae-up is a figure who was sentenced to prison for spreading false information that the son of Lee Hoi-chang, the 16th presidential election candidate, evaded military service. Hong's response of "Kim Dae-up" appears to imply that the controversy about Ms. Kim is false.

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party (left), and his spouse Kim Geon-hee. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, one questioner said about Ms. Kim, "I don't think she is fit to be the wife of a country's president," mentioning controversies over her academic credentials and the 'Julie' allegations.

The questioner continued, "If she did such things, at the very least, Yoon Seok-yeol should not run as a presidential candidate," adding, "How foolish must he think the people of the Republic of Korea are? It makes me angry to think he shamelessly runs as a presidential candidate." In response, Hong said, "He is a candidate elected by party members," and added, "That is democracy."

Earlier, the YouTube channel 'Open Sympathy TV' and OhmyNews reported, based on an interview with Ahn Hae-wook, former president of the Korea Elementary School Taekwondo Association, that he visited the Ramada Renaissance Hotel nightclub in May 1997 and was entertained by Ms. Kim, who used the stage name 'Julie' at the time.

In response, candidate Yoon rebutted, calling it "a story not worth answering." On the same day, at the Kim Dae-jung Library in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Yoon told reporters regarding eyewitness testimonies about Ms. Kim working at entertainment establishments in the past, "Are you interested in that? Does that sound like a true story to you?"

Meanwhile, the People Power Party stated, "Ms. Kim has absolutely never worked at an entertainment bar," and announced legal action against former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who shared the content from Open Sympathy TV and related posts on Facebook.