Kim Nam-guk on Kim Geon-hee in Military Uniform: "Who Is the President?"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Kim Nam-guk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said he "does not know who the president is" regarding the photo of President Yoon Seok-yeol and First Lady Kim Geon-hee during their state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

On the 16th, Kim posted on his Facebook a photo of President Yoon and the First Lady visiting the Ark Unit deployed in Abu Dhabi, UAE, making a video call with a family of a non-commissioned officer. In the released photo, the First Lady is sitting in front of a laptop with a bright smile, while President Yoon stands behind her making a finger heart gesture toward the laptop.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who are on a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), visited the Ark Unit deployed in Abu Dhabi on the 15th (local time) and had a video call with the family of a non-commissioned officer.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won also expressed a similar view. He said that Kim Geon-hee wearing a military uniform and visiting the deployed unit is "acting like the president."

Park Ji-won, who recently rejoined the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared on KBC's 'Yeouido Invitation' on the same day and stated, "The First Lady should properly fulfill her role," adding, "I have never seen a First Lady wear a military uniform. If this continues, criticism that Kim Geon-hee is acting like the president will soon pour in."

In response to the host's question, "The military uniform is somewhat flashy, but isn't it natural for the First Lady to visit overseas deployed troops to encourage them?" Park replied, "My concern is that the public might perceive it as 'overdoing it' or 'getting ahead of the president,' so it would be better to manage it carefully to avoid misunderstandings."

However, it was revealed that First Lady Kim Jung-sook also wore the exact same military uniform when she visited the UAE Ark Unit with former President Moon Jae-in in March 2018.