President Yoon's New Year's Night Interview
'First Statement on Luxury Bag Gift'
Mrs. Kim Also Absent from Lunar New Year Greeting Video
Two Months Before General Election...Attention on Resumption of Activities
President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are returning on the 15th to the indoor event hall on the 2nd floor of Seongnam Seoul Airport after completing the state visit to the Netherlands. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol will express his first stance on the controversy surrounding his wife Kim Geon-hee's luxury handbag acceptance during a New Year's interview broadcast on KBS1TV at 10 p.m. on the 7th. On this day, President Yoon is expected to convey his apologies to the public for causing concern related to Mrs. Kim. The presidential office has maintained the position that a Korean-American pastor illegally filmed the First Lady by leveraging his connection with Mrs. Kim's late father.
According to the presidential office, President Yoon will reveal the direction of his third year in office over 100 minutes during the New Year's interview titled "Special Interview: Visiting the Presidential Office," covering various fields such as politics, economy, and diplomacy. A presidential office official explained, "During the recording on the 4th, President Yoon conducted the interview without a teleprompter or script," adding, "This reflects the president's preference for straightforward and candid conversation, as he dislikes embellishment."
Particularly, attention is focused on whether Mrs. Kim will resume official activities as a result. Mrs. Kim has not appeared in public since returning through Seongnam Seoul Airport on December 18 last year after a state visit to the Netherlands with President Yoon, marking 54 days of absence. This is the longest period of public inactivity since President Yoon took office.
Tracing back before the inauguration, Mrs. Kim's hiatus began on December 26, 2021. Following a public apology press conference over false resume allegations, she promised "quiet support" and refrained from public appearances for 135 days until President Yoon's inauguration on May 10, 2022. Even after President Yoon's election, she only carried out private schedules not disclosed to the media, such as visiting the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (April 28), adopting a stray dog in Mapo-gu, Seoul (April 30), and visiting Guinsa Temple in Danyang (May 4).
After President Yoon's inauguration, Mrs. Kim gradually increased her public appearances, including accompanying him to the NATO summit on July 1 of the same year and meeting former presidents' spouses upon returning. However, controversy arose when Lee Won-mo, then the presidential office personnel secretary, was accompanied by his spouse Shin during this schedule, leading to criticism over the presence of acquaintances, and Mrs. Kim did not appear publicly for 28 days. After the launching ceremony of the Jeongjo Daewang warship on July 28, 2022, she focused on private activities such as volunteering at homeless shelters and flood-affected areas for 52 days until departing for a tour of the UK, the US, and Canada on September 18.
In February last year, when the opposition parties began serious discussions on the Deutsche Motors special investigation, Mrs. Kim reduced her public appearances. She attended the Korean Sign Language Day event on February 3 and reappeared in an official capacity 18 days later on February 21 by visiting the National Museum of Korea's Oegyujanggak Uigwe special exhibition, followed by a visit to Jukdo Market in Pohang on March 3. Notably, Mrs. Kim was unusually absent from this year's Lunar New Year greeting video message, raising speculation about whether she will accompany future overseas trips. Last year, she accompanied President Yoon on 12 out of 13 overseas trips, excluding the Korea-US-Japan summit in Washington, D.C., in August.
In political circles, there have been calls for the reinstatement of the Second Office to officially support Mrs. Kim's activities and prevent issues in advance. There are also suggestions to appoint a special inspector to prevent potential corruption involving the president's close aides and family. In response, a presidential office official stated, "We are reviewing institutional measures such as establishing the Second Office and appointing a special inspector."
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