Presidential Office Scrambles to Quell Controversy Over Yoon's Remarks: "Clearly Not Biden"

Presidential Office Deputy Spokesperson Says "Confirmed Through External Experts" in Radio Interview

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The Presidential Office reiterated on the 27th its stance that "it is clear that it was not Biden" regarding the controversy over the profanity that occurred during President Yoon Seok-yeol's visit to the United States.

Lee Jae-myung, deputy spokesperson of the Presidential Office, said in an interview with MBC Radio on the morning of the same day, "Naturally, the public would be curious about what it was and in what context and circumstances it was said. At that time, we confirmed through various external experts what the closest possibility was," he said.

Earlier, on the 21st (local time), after attending the 7th replenishment conference of the Global Fund hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in New York, President Yoon was caught on camera seemingly saying, "If these XX in the National Assembly don't approve it, what will OOO do, feeling embarrassed?"

After reports continued with the content "What if Biden feels embarrassed," the Presidential Office explained that the target of the profanity was not "Biden" but "nallimyeon," referring to our National Assembly, not the U.S. Congress, which further fueled the controversy.

Deputy Spokesperson Lee emphasized, "The important thing is that we conducted various efforts to confirm that it was not Biden," and said that experts concluded there was almost no possibility that the word was "Biden."

On the other hand, he criticized some media outlets, saying, "If the media had gone through a process to confirm what the word was, there would have been no problem. But without such a process and without confirming with us, the president's remarks were taken as established facts, subtitled, and endlessly repeated, which is the problem."

Deputy Spokesperson Lee criticized the reported remarks as an attempt to damage the Korea-U.S. alliance. President Yoon raised his voice on the 26th while meeting reporters on his way to the Yongsan Presidential Office, saying, "False reports that damage the alliance put the people at risk."

Lee said, "Even voice analysis experts could not identify the specific word, but some media outlets specified it," adding, "However, the sentence they specified creates a nuance that damages the alliance and mocks it, no matter who sees it."

He particularly pointed out, "Because of the unspecified word, the public is misled," and said, "It is not a problem of our people, but causing the international community to misunderstand is a serious damage to the alliance."

Regarding the expression "iXXdeul" (these XX) used in President Yoon's remarks, Deputy Spokesperson Lee said, "If the profanity is the essence of this controversy, the president should not hesitate to express regret or more, and there is no reason to hesitate," adding, "But what we are raising as an issue is not the profanity controversy, but the seriousness of this matter."