Presidential Office: "The Accompanying Woman Is a University Professor"
Lee Jun-seok: "Is It Not Okay to Accompany Privately?"
First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, visited Bongha Village in Jinyeong-eup, Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam Province on the afternoon of the 13th to pay respects at the grave of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] The opposition party criticized First Lady Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, for being accompanied by her longtime friend Professor Kim Mo during her visit to Bongha Village in Gyeongnam, calling it "inviting controversy over unofficial influence."
Earlier on the 13th, Mrs. Kim visited the grave site of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun in Bongha Village to pay her respects. During this visit, a woman wearing a black T-shirt and sandals was constantly by Mrs. Kim's side.
This woman completed the visit under the protection of the presidential security detail along with Mrs. Kim, and netizens speculated about her identity, suggesting she might be a 'shaman' among other theories.
In response, Cho Seung-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, wrote on Facebook on the 14th, "Is it appropriate for the spouse of the sitting president to be accompanied by a private acquaintance when officially visiting the spouse of a former president?" He added, "Using personal relationships in official matters is exactly what unofficial influence is, and such unofficial influence tends to cause tragedies like state affairs manipulation."
He continued, "We need to thoroughly examine the procedures and costs involved in Mrs. Kim's official schedule, as well as who accompanies and protects her," emphasizing, "Despite promises to abolish the Second Office, private connections are being involved in official matters. This kind of deception of the public and disruption of state order must not be allowed."
On the afternoon of the 13th, First Lady Kim Geon-hee visited the grave of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun in Bongha Village, Jinyeong-eup, Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam, and then paid a courtesy call to Kwon Yang-sook, taking a commemorative photo together. / Photo by the Office of the President
As the controversy grew, a presidential office official explained on the morning of the 14th at the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul, "We heard that a university professor friend accompanied her. She is not a shaman."
On the same day, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, wrote on Facebook, "Who made the law that private acquaintances cannot accompany the First Lady when paying respects to President Roh Moo-hyun and Mrs. Kwon Yang-suk?" He added, "If the intention is to tarnish the First Lady's efforts for national unity, this is almost at the level of 'Minjinyo'."
The term 'Minjinyo' is a play on the internet community 'Tajinyo' (Demanding Truth from Tablo), which previously spread false allegations about singer Tablo's Stanford University credentials.
Upon verification, the woman was identified as Kim Mo, former executive director of the exhibition planning company Kobana Contents, where Mrs. Kim was a representative, and also an adjunct professor in the Department of Dance at Chungnam National University. Kim also participated last year in the organizing committee of the 6th Korea International Arts Dance Festival for the Disabled (KIADA).
Meanwhile, according to the Act on the Protection of the President and Others (Presidential Security Act), the security service's protection is limited to the president and their family.
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