Presidential Office Explains "Provided Flight and Accommodation Support but No Favoritism or Special Treatment"
Controversy Likely Unavoidable Over Confidential Presidential Couple's Schedule Being Supported by a Civilian Without Official Position
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] It has been revealed that Shin Mo, the spouse of Lee Won-mo, the Presidential Office Personnel Secretary, accompanied President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife during their visit to Spain last week to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.
There are criticisms regarding the inappropriateness of Shin, who is neither a Presidential Office staff member nor a government official, accompanying the President on an overseas trip and the use of Presidential Office funds for her activities. However, the Presidential Office rebutted these claims, stating, "Private civilian volunteers may also participate in overseas trips if necessary," and denied any conflict of interest.
According to the Presidential Office and some media reports on the 5th, Shin accompanied President Yoon and his wife during their visit to Madrid, Spain, from April 27 to May 1, when the NATO summit was held.
Shin departed for Spain with the advance inspection team composed of security and protocol teams and stayed at the Madrid accommodation where President Yoon and his wife lodged, assisting with First Lady Kim’s schedule and protocol, according to reports. On the return flight, Shin boarded Air Force One, the presidential aircraft carrying about 200 people including the President and his wife, the delegation, and the press. It is also reported that Shin participated in planning the overall schedule, including the Korean community meeting attended by the President and his wife.
Shin is the daughter of the chairman of a well-known Korean traditional medicine foundation and previously served as the CEO of a Korean medicine-related company. She reportedly resigned from her registered director position on April 30, just before President Yoon’s inauguration. Additionally, before the NATO schedule, the Presidential Office considered formally hiring Shin as an employee and conducted a background check. However, due to controversy over whether hiring the spouse of a current Personnel Secretary complied with internal regulations, the plan was ultimately abandoned, according to reports.
In response to the spreading controversy from these reports, the Presidential Office issued a press release titled "Presidential Office Position Regarding Reports on the Personnel Secretary’s Spouse," explaining, "Ms. A (Shin) supported various event planning during this trip based on her extensive overseas experience and international event planning capabilities," and added, "However, to avoid unnecessary controversy, she did not receive any separate compensation."
They continued, "Private civilian volunteers may participate in overseas trips as 'other accompanying personnel' if necessary. Ms. A went through all administrative procedures legally as other accompanying personnel," and stated, "While essential flight and accommodation were provided for the trip, since she was accompanying personnel and did not receive separate compensation, we clearly affirm that there was no preferential treatment or conflict of interest."
Some quarters have criticized the appropriateness of Ms. A, a private civilian without an official position, staying at the same accommodation as the President and his wife and supporting their schedule, which involves confidential security matters. There is also a possibility of controversy over 'private and unofficial accompaniment' related to the fact that the Personnel Secretary’s spouse accompanied official duties while the Secretary himself, who was a subordinate prosecutor during the former Prosecutor General’s tenure and currently serves as the head of personnel verification at the Presidential Office, was working.
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