[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The Presidential Office clarified on the 30th that the photos of First Lady Kim Geon-hee visiting her office were taken by an aide using Kim’s own camera.
First Lady Kim visited the Yongsan Presidential Office building on the 27th and 28th consecutively. The related photos were released the previous day through the Facebook account of Kim’s fan club, 'Geonhee Sarang'.
Since the photos were leaked outside the secure area through an unusual channel without involvement from the Presidential Office’s public relations team, controversy arose over who took and distributed the photos.
Regarding this, a Presidential Office official told reporters in the afternoon, when asked if the person who took and released the photos was a Presidential Office staff member, "It doesn’t seem so."
When asked, "Then who is it?" the official responded, "Don’t you have a guess?"
When asked whether there is an aide assigned to First Lady Kim, given that the Second Office assisting the presidential spouse was abolished, the official said, "I don’t know exactly."
He added, "Since the photos were taken during a private weekend of President Yoon and his wife, we do not intend to disclose who took them," and said, "The Presidential Office does not control the First Lady’s daily life."
When reporters pointed out that it is unreasonable for the First Lady’s activities to be revealed through a fan club, he said, "I will try to coordinate that."
Regarding whether any outsiders entered the office during the First Lady’s visit, he was cautious, saying, "It is difficult to say clearly, but there was a situation where we could not make a big issue out of it."
About 20 minutes later, sensing the controversy his explanation was causing, the official returned to the briefing room and clarified, "The photos were taken with the First Lady’s camera."
Another official nearby added, "An aide took the photos, and there is no particular problem according to security regulations."
It was explained that, like the president, the presidential spouse is not required to install security applications on their mobile phone when entering the office building, allowing them to take photos freely.
When reporters repeatedly raised concerns about security regulations, a Presidential Office official drew a line, saying, "Photos from the office have been released several times before," and "It is difficult to consider the interior as a strictly secure area."
However, he added, "We have instructed that photos taken inside the Presidential Office grounds must be released through the spokesperson’s office," and "We plan to organize this to prevent such issues in the future."
When asked who delivered the photos to the fan club, the official replied, "It is probably the First Lady herself."
Regarding his contradictory statements, he explained, "I did not want to reveal the camera owner explicitly."
He apologized, saying, "I am sorry if there was any misunderstanding."
When reporters criticized that such inconsistencies undermine trust, he said, "That would be very disappointing," asking for understanding.
Meanwhile, a dispute arose between broadcaster Kim Eo-jun and lawyer Kang Shin-eop, a member of the First Lady’s fan club, over her recent activities.
Kim criticized on his radio show, "This is the first time photos of the president’s wife visiting the office for leisure have been released," and said, "Is the president’s official space being ‘liked’ by the wife’s personal fan club? Let’s stop playing the president’s wife game."
In response, lawyer Kang countered on Facebook, "What is wrong with the president’s wife visiting the presidential office, especially on a holiday?" and "Why should it not be disclosed through a fan club?" He added, "Former U.S. President Barack Obama’s wife also visited the office and took photos."
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