"There Are Parasites"... Kim Hye-kyung's Close Associate Also Puzzled by '10 Orders of Sushi'

Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, holds a press conference on the 9th at the Yeouido Central Party Office in Seoul to apologize for the excessive protocol controversy. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Amid ongoing controversy over private errands allegedly carried out by Kim Hye-kyung, wife of Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, a former level-7 public official who reported the issue has further revealed the delivery of 10 servings of sushi.

According to a Channel A report on the 11th, whistleblower A revealed that in June of last year, when Lee was serving as governor of Gyeonggi Province, 10 servings of sushi paid for with the Gyeonggi Provincial Government corporate card were delivered to Kim’s residence. A presented a recorded phone conversation from that time as evidence and disclosed this fact to the media.

Earlier, on the 9th, Kim held a press conference to apologize amid growing controversy over private errands involving beef sushi and misuse of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government corporate card. However, immediately after the press conference, whistleblower A issued a statement questioning, "Who ate all that food?" and two days later, newly released the recorded audio file.

The recorded conversation features whistleblower A and Bae, known to be a close aide of Kim. When A asked Bae, "How did it taste?" Bae replied, "No particular comments." Then A said, "The madam really seems to have a big appetite," and "Does your son also eat the 10 servings?" to which Bae responded, "But they wouldn’t just pile up sushi, would they?"

Additionally, Bae said, "Personally, I think there are parasites," and "There might be parasites living underneath or something." This appears to be a metaphor referencing the movie Parasite, implying suspicion that others might be eating the food. A then sympathized, saying, "Even if they each ate two servings, the madam and two sons, six servings would be enough."

Furthermore, the released recording includes A asking, "Is there a party or are friends invited?" and Bae replying, "No one comes to the house." A agreed, adding, "They probably don’t invite anyone, worried about what people might say," to which Bae expressed puzzlement, saying, "That’s a mystery to me too."