President Yoon Seeks National Administration Strategies and Economic Momentum Through Meals
First Lady Kim Invites Various Figures to the Residence for Encouragement
Presidential Office: "The President's Actions Are Complemented by First Lady Kim"
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yeol, continues her 'meal politics' by having lunch with various figures from different sectors. While President Yoon has been an 'external strength' type, seeking ways to manage state affairs through meal politics, Kim's meal politics is evaluated as an 'internal diplomacy' type, inviting various figures to the residence to encourage them.
According to the Presidential Office on the 3rd, from the 27th of last month until the day before, Kim invited ruling party female lawmakers, Presidential Office staff, and wives of Cabinet members to the Hannam-dong residence one after another for lunch and conversations.
President Yoon has utilized meal politics by seeking and announcing ideas for state management through lunches and dinners, and by reinforcing sales and policy determination with foreign guests and various figures.
After moving into the Hannam-dong residence, President Yoon upgraded 'meal politics' to 'residence politics' by actively inviting domestic and foreign guests, starting with the visit of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia in November. While meals helped improve the thin network of connections, the use of the residence, minimizing external exposure, was intended to build deeper relationships.
After his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month, President Yoon has chosen to meet with businesspeople either at the Yongsan Presidential Office or outside to maintain momentum related to UAE investments.
Instead, Kim Geon-hee encourages various figures by inviting them to the residence. For example, while President Yoon had lunch with the CEO of a venture company awarded the CES2023 Innovation Award at the Yongsan Presidential Office yesterday, reaffirming the policy direction on innovative technology and talent development, on the same day Kim invited wives of Cabinet members to the residence for lunch.
Earlier, while President Yoon spent the entire day on the 1st visiting Gumi to focus on follow-up measures after his overseas trip, Kim held a lunch with administrative officers at the Presidential Office, expressing gratitude for their hard work. The lunch was attended by senior administrative officers and below from various offices including the Office for National Planning and the Office for Economic Affairs.
This meal politics approach by Kim Geon-hee appears to reflect President Yoon's intentions. Regarding his wife's role, President Yoon said, "I thought the president's wife wouldn't have any special duties, but after inauguration, I realized the spouse has quite a few tasks. There are many places where, if the president cannot come, they ask the president's wife to come instead," adding, "I told her to do it humbly and well without being in the spotlight."
In addition, on the 11th of last month, Kim volunteered at the Daegu Seongseo Comprehensive Social Welfare Center meal service and visited Seomun Market, and on the 31st of the same month, she independently carried out schedules such as the design industry's New Year's gathering.
A Presidential Office official explained Kim's increased external activities and consecutive residence invitation meals by saying, "Kim warmly hosts meals and talks, supplementing the points that the president has not been able to attend to."
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