Public Schedule After 153 Days... First Lady Kim Geon-hee Attends Luncheon with Cambodian Leader

On December 11 last year (local time), President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee, on a state visit to the Netherlands, arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. After disembarking from Air Force One, their official aircraft, they boarded a vehicle and waited. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Keon-hee, the wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, will attend an official luncheon with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his spouse on the 16th. This marks her first public schedule in 153 days.

The Blue House announced that Kim will participate in the official luncheon following the Korea-Cambodia summit on the same day.

Kim had not appeared publicly since concluding her visit to the Netherlands last December, making this her first official engagement in 153 days. During the visit of Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis, who came to Korea with his spouse on the 23rd of last month, she only attended private schedules for the spouses of heads of state. At that time, the Blue House did not release any photos or specific details of her schedule.

Given the controversy over Kim’s prolonged absence from official diplomatic activities, it is expected that she will begin public appearances starting with the official luncheon in Cambodia.

Earlier this month, Kim did not attend major public events such as Children’s Day and Parents’ Day ceremonies, and it is reported that she ultimately decided not to accompany the Buddha’s Birthday celebration ceremony held at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu the day before, despite considering attending.

Although Kim is participating in a public schedule this day, the ongoing prosecution investigation is expected to be a burden going forward.

There have been concerns that the recent large-scale personnel changes in the prosecution might affect the investigation into Kim, but Lee Chang-soo, the newly appointed head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, said on his first day at work, "We plan to take all measures to ensure that the investigation is not hindered."

At a press conference on the 9th, President Yoon apologized for the suspicions surrounding Kim, saying, "I apologize to the public for the worries caused by my wife’s unwise conduct." However, regarding the opposition party’s push for a special investigation law on Kim Keon-hee, he called it a "political offensive and political act," indicating his intention to exercise the right to request reconsideration (veto) in the future.