"The report that the official residence was decided by Kim Geon-hee is incorrect"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The People Power Party fully defended itself on the 24th against the Democratic Party's allegations that Kim Geon-hee, the spouse of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, influenced the decision by visiting in advance during the process of changing the new presidential residence from the originally decided site at the Army Chief of Staff's residence in Hannam-dong to the nearby Ministry of Foreign Affairs minister's residence.
Heo Eun-ah, the senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, issued a statement that day, saying, "As if they had been waiting, Democratic Party figures simultaneously launched criticisms," and rebutted, "Without a proper understanding of the circumstances before and after, this is merely a malicious attempt to find fault with the president-elect's spouse."
Senior spokesperson Heo asserted, "The decision to tentatively select the Ministry of Foreign Affairs residence as the presidential residence was made by the task force in charge after considering various factors such as relocation costs, security, and transportation," and claimed, "Reports that the residence was chosen based on the decision of Representative (spouse) Kim were fundamentally incorrect."
He added, "In response, the Democratic Party launched attacks using provocative terms such as 'residence shopping' and 'wish fulfillment,' which is typical agitational politics and a behavior that misleads public opinion," warning, "They should know that the more they pick on Representative (spouse) Kim, the more suspicions about First Lady Kim Jung-sook will only grow."
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