Blue House expresses regret over 'clothing expense controversy'..."Moon administration's special activity expenses lowest among governments" (Comprehensive)

The Blue House in Seoul on the 25th, where President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol continue to clash over the office relocation and the appointment of the Bank of Korea governor. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Blue House has expressed regret regarding First Lady Kim Jung-sook's 'clothing expense controversy.' It stated that the Moon administration has spent the least amount on special activity expenses among all previous administrations and, as the first ever to undergo an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) on these expenses, there are no issues.

Park Soo-hyun, Senior Secretary for Public Communication at the Blue House, said on the 31st, "We express regret over the indiscriminate allegations not only about the Blue House's special activity expenses at the end of the term but also regarding First Lady Kim's clothing and accessories."

Park added, "Compared to previous administrations, the Moon administration minimized the scale of special activity expenses, introduced the BAI audit for the first time, and has not received a single criticism. From the start, the Moon administration has continuously pursued institutional improvements to align the transparency and accountability of special activity expenses with the public's expectations."

He further stated, "We decided to use the special activity expenses strictly for their intended purposes, and in 2017, only 7.04 billion KRW out of 12.5 billion KRW (70.4%) was spent, with the remainder returned."

The Blue House emphasized that the Moon administration allocated an average of 9.65 billion KRW annually for special activity expenses, which is the lowest level since the introduction of these expenses at the Blue House in 1994. It also explained that due to the Blue House's measures, government ministries have reduced their special activity expenses, resulting in a 40.2% decrease in the total amount over the past five years compared to 400.7 billion KRW in 2017.

It also mentioned that the Moon administration, which was the first to introduce and implement the special activity expenses settlement audit, has never received any criticism from the BAI. Park said, "The Blue House does not disclose detailed information in accordance with the government's common policy. While efforts have been made to reduce the scale of special activity expenses and enhance transparency and accountability, we agree that further institutional improvements are necessary."

Park's briefing expressing 'regret' on this day also reflects President Moon's intentions. A Blue House official explained, "The Blue House does not announce positions different from the President's," adding, "President Moon personally reviewed Park's statement during a tea meeting this morning."