Kim Hye-kyung, wife of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Allegations have been raised that public officials affiliated with Gyeonggi Province performed personal errands for Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, during his tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province. However, the Democratic Party has dismissed these claims as false.
On the 27th, the People Power Party filed a complaint with the prosecution, stating, "During Lee's tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province, his wife Kim hired a Grade 5 administrative officer as a personal secretary." They also named Lee, Kim, and Bae, who was identified as the personal secretary. On the 28th, SBS reported a tip from a public official, Mr. A, who worked in the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Secretariat until his resignation early last year. Mr. A claimed that he performed errands related to Kim under the instructions of Bae, who was then a personal secretary affiliated with the Gyeonggi Province General Affairs Division, and disclosed Telegram chat messages.
The Telegram conversation included Bae asking, "Please check on Madam's medicine," to which Mr. A replied, "I obtained a prescription under another secretary's name at the provincial government medical office." Additionally, a photo of the prescription released by Mr. A showed that the affiliated clinic of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government prescribed a 28-day supply of medicine to the secretary. Mr. A asserted that the secretaries purchased the medicine in this manner and personally delivered it to Kim's residence in Sunae-dong, Bundang, Seongnam.
Furthermore, Mr. A added that he confirmed with Bae every step of receiving food from restaurants frequently visited by Kim and bringing it to her home. When Bae sent a message saying, "Check if they included the white kimchi," Mr. A responded, "Confirmed." The photos also included messages where Mr. A sent pictures of the refrigerator and wardrobe to Bae, stating, "I stocked apples generously, filled underwear and socks by swapping the bottoms, and also stocked suits and shirts."
Kim Byung-min, spokesperson for the People Power Party's election campaign headquarters, commented, "The true face of Lee and Kim, who misuse power for personal purposes, has been revealed." He added, "Turning public officials and public resources into private use for the spouse is a privatization of public authority," and criticized, "The Lee couple should confess the truth to the public without delay and take immediate responsibility."
On the other hand, the Democratic Party's election campaign committee distributed a text message on the 29th, presenting Bae's position. Bae stated, "I was hired as an external cooperation officer for Gyeonggi Province and was never employed as a personal secretary," and "I have never handled personal errands for the candidate's family during official duties." He further emphasized, "There are many attempts to interfere in the election by spreading false information," and "We will not stand by. The facts will be clearly revealed during the investigation."
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