Minju, Kim Geon-hee Lady's Luxury Bag Receipt Video Revisited
"They Said Leek Prices Were Reasonable, But the Lady Complains at the Residence"
Amid the ruling party's turmoil over President Yoon Suk-yeol's 'green onion price' remark, the Democratic Party of Korea has brought renewed attention to First Lady Kim Geon-hee's 'Dior bag controversy.' They took issue with Kim's crude comment comparing the Yongsan Hannam-dong residence to the Blue House, calling it a 'hakkobang' (a derogatory term for a small, shabby room).
Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for the Democratic Party's Central Election Countermeasures Committee, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the afternoon of the 30th, stating, "No matter how much Chairman In Yo-han emphasizes 'mafia loyalty,' some things must be said." He then introduced a statement made by Kim Geon-hee in a video filmed in September 2022. In the video, Kim said, "Oh, but my Hannam-dong residence here can't even be compared to the Blue House," adding, "It's just a 'hakkobang.'
Spokesperson Kang said, "This remark was overlooked by the media during the luxury bag scandal," adding, "The scene of exchanging a 5 million won Dior bag was so shocking that it overshadowed this comment." He explained, "'Hakkobang' is a crude term referring to a makeshift shack, specifically a very small partitioned shack built by refugees who moved down to Busan right after the Korean War." He criticized, "Are they really calling the Yongsan Hannam-dong residence where the presidential couple lives a 'hakkobang'?"
He also pointed out, "Recent reports show that the number of visitors to the Blue House has sharply declined every year, and local merchants near Yongsan have seen their sales drop by more than half since the relocation, wearing long faces. Meanwhile, the Blue House has been described as a staple in cheap Korean package tours," adding, "After pouring massive tax money into the Blue House only to leave it in such a state, is First Lady Kim really complaining that the Hannam-dong residence is a 'hakkobang'?"
Spokesperson Kang also criticized President Yoon's recent 'green onion remark' in the same breath. He said, "President Yoon said, '875 won per bunch of green onions is reasonable,' Rep. Han Dong-hoon of the People Power Party called Starbucks a place ordinary people can't go, and First Lady Kim complained that the Hannam-dong residence is a 'hakkobang.' What kind of disconnected world are they living in?" He then addressed Kim directly, saying, "Have you ever once tried to understand the hearts of ordinary people and the poor? If you had, you wouldn't have even joked about calling the Hannam-dong mansion a 'hakkobang.'"
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