In Yohan: "Even the Mafia Doesn't Touch Their Wives... The Issue with Kim Gun-hee Is a 'Thing of the Past'"

Ruling Party's Immediate Backlash

Inyo Han, the election committee chairman of the People’s Future, a satellite proportional party under the People Power Party, defended First Lady Kim Geon-hee by saying, "Even the mafia has children, and they don’t touch the wife." In response, Cho Guk, leader of the Cho Guk Innovation Party, retorted, "Who are you talking to?"

Chairman In Yo-han tasting Tteokbokki Photo by Yonhap News

On the 29th, during a phone interview on MBC Radio’s "Kim Jong-bae’s Focus," Inyo Han was asked by the host, "There have been criticisms that the president should have taken firmer action regarding various issues related to First Lady Kim Geon-hee, but has not done so." Inyo Han then cited the mafia as an example.

"I’m going to say something quite harsh," he said. "Even the mafia organization doesn’t touch the children or the wife in that family. What the Democratic Party people are good at is framing things, taking past incidents and talking about them again and again and again. You all are just being dragged into that," he pointed out. "Those are all things of the past. We have a lot to do now. We don’t have time to be like this among ourselves," he emphasized. "The whole world is running now, and we have to run together. We must seek the interests of the Republic of Korea."

He claimed that the allegations surrounding First Lady Kim, such as stock manipulation and receiving luxury bags, are "all things of the past," and that voters are being dragged into the Democratic Party’s "repetitive framing." The opposition parties, including the Democratic United Party and the Cho Guk Innovation Party, immediately rebutted Inyo Han’s remarks.

Lee Kyung-eun, spokesperson for the Democratic United Party, stated in a commentary, "The issue of First Lady Kim Geon-hee, which Inyo Han calls ‘all things of the past,’ is not mere gossip but a criminal allegation that must not be overlooked." She criticized, "Inyo Han’s claim that Kim’s crimes are ‘all things of the past’ is tantamount to saying that crimes should not be punished."

Leader Cho shared an article reporting Inyo Han’s remarks on social media, writing, "Who are you talking to?" He repeatedly asked the same question during campaign events, introducing Inyo Han’s comments and asking again, "Who are you talking to?"

Lee Ji-su, spokesperson for the Cho Guk Innovation Party, said, "The upcoming general election is a day to elect representatives of the people, not the mafia. It is regrettable to trivialize politics by mentioning the mafia in an important election that will judge the Yoon Seok-yeol administration."