3 Out of 6 Official Schedules This Month Are Solo Events
Following Exhibition Visit on the 9th, Volunteer Work and Market Visit on the 11th
Presidential Office Denies Change in 'Quiet Support' Policy
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] If First Lady Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, increased the number of her public appearances last month, she is now focusing on expanding the scope of her activities to include volunteer work, exhibitions, and market visits from the new year.
According to the Presidential Office on the 12th, Kim has made six public appearances since the beginning of the year, including volunteering at the Daegu Seongseo Comprehensive Social Welfare Center meal service and visiting Seomun Market the day before.
On the previous day, Kim participated in meal service volunteering at the Daegu Seongseo Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, invited by the Saemaul Undong Central Association, alongside university student volunteers affiliated with the Saemaul Undong Central Association.
She then visited Seomun Market in Daegu, known as a stronghold of conservatism, where she purchased various items and food ingredients for Lunar New Year preparations, as well as a variety of foods to eat on-site, encouraging small business owners and self-employed individuals who have recently been facing difficulties.
The Presidential Office explained Kim’s schedule by saying, "The traditional market shopping schedule was arranged to encourage merchants in local traditional markets who are struggling due to recent high inflation and economic downturn."
Kim, who had mainly participated in volunteer activities for the vulnerable and marginalized groups in private, has increased her public appearances since the Southeast Asia tour in November last year. Including both accompanying and solo schedules with President Yoon, Kim’s public activities totaled 17 times in December last year alone.
During volunteer work at the Namdaemun slum in Seoul on the 22nd of the same month, she allowed the Presidential Office’s joint press pool to cover her for the first time since the Spain visit in June last year.
This year, she is broadening not only the frequency of her public schedule but also the fields of her solo activities.
On the 2nd, Kim attended three events accompanying President Yoon: the 2023 New Year’s greeting meeting with the five key figures and political leaders, the New Year’s greeting meeting with cultural and artistic figures on the 4th, and the New Year’s concert. She also held three solo events: viewing a special literature exhibition on the 9th, volunteering at the Daegu meal service, and visiting Seomun Market the day before, totaling six events.
On the 9th, Kim visited the special literature exhibition "Yi Sang, Yeom Sang-seop, Hyun Jin-geon, Yoon Dong-ju, Strolling through the Blue House" held at the Blue House Chunuchu-gwan alone and held meetings with related personnel afterward.
As an exhibition planner, Kim emphasized, "When literature leads, art, architecture, and music follow. Our modern literary heritage contains the spirit of the times, making it extremely precious," and stressed the need to support translation and publication to share it with people worldwide.
It is evaluated that the rise in President Yoon’s approval rating played a part in Kim’s shift from promising a "quiet support" to taking a broad public role. Although Kim’s issues were cited as a cause of President Yoon’s approval rating decline in the early days of his administration, his approval ratings have maintained the 40% range despite her frequent public appearances recently, which is interpreted as a recovery of confidence.
Kim is expected to continue her active role as the president’s wife even after accompanying President Yoon on his trips to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Davos Forum.
However, a Presidential Office official cautiously forecasted that "There were many official schedules with President Yoon at the end of last year, but the policy of quiet support has not changed, nor is there anything special," indicating that Kim will maintain her current level of activity.
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