Former Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson Gominjeong Urges "Yoon to Disclose 14.7 Billion Won Special Activity Expenses First"

"Special Activity Funds of Past Governments... Lee Government 13 Billion, Park Government 14.1 Billion, but Moon Government Actual Spending 8.4 Billion"
"President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's Special Activity Funds as Prosecutor General Were 14.7 Billion"
Expresses Regret Over Han Deok-su's Nomination as Prime Minister

Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Min-jung conducted an interview with Yonhap News TV's '1beonji Hyeonjang' on the 4th. Photo by Yonhap News TV's '1beonji Hyeonjang' broadcast capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Min-jung demanded that President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol disclose the details of his special activity expenses first, in relation to the controversy over the disclosure of special activity expenses triggered by First Lady Kim Jung-sook's clothing expenses.

On the night of the 4th, Ko posted on her Facebook, introducing an interview she had on the same day with Yonhap News TV's '1st Street Field.'

In the interview, when asked about the controversy over First Lady Kim's clothing expenses, Ko said, "There was talk that the clothes were bought with special activity expenses and that those expenses should be disclosed." She added, "Since the Blue House said they were not purchased with special activity expenses, I said if not, then disclose the details of the purchase with personal funds."

She continued, "It is clear that special activity expenses are parts that cannot be disclosed. So, recently, the Blue House mentioned the scale of special activity expenses used by past governments," explaining, "During the Lee Myung-bak administration, it was 13 billion won, during the Park Geun-hye administration, it was 14.1 billion won, and during the Moon Jae-in administration, 9.65 billion won was budgeted, but only 8.4 billion won was actually spent. It is a significantly reduced amount."

She then argued that the special activity expenses during Yoon's tenure as Prosecutor General should be disclosed. Ko pointed out, "The special activity expenses during Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's time were 14.7 billion won. Then this 14.7 billion won should also be disclosed, but no response has been given."

Ko expressed disappointment over Yoon's side nominating former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as the new prime minister for the Yoon administration. She said, "President-elect Yoon has a considerably different approach from the Moon Jae-in administration regarding issues such as the Blue House relocation and foreign and defense policies. While we mainly talked about peace on the Korean Peninsula, Yoon mainly adopted very strong measures such as preemptive strikes and THAAD," adding, "I strongly hoped that this one person would clearly show the image of the Republic of Korea that Yoon will lead for the next five years."

Ko further commented, "Since the Yoon administration started by denying the current Moon Jae-in government, I had high expectations that a symbolic figure who could comprehensively represent their political agenda would newly emerge, but whether it was due to a lack of talent pool or excessive concern about the confirmation hearings, it is disappointing compared to expectations."