"Michelle Obama Also Makes Solo Visit to China"
Former First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-geon criticized the controversy over First Lady Kim Jung-sook's solo visit to the Taj Mahal in India, saying, "Referring to the invitation from India, a friendly and cooperative country, as a personal trip or a bucket list item could be perceived as insulting to the Indian people and Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
On the morning of November 7, 2018 (local time), Kim Jung-sook, wife of former President Moon Jae-in, visited the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, and took a commemorative photo.
On the 20th, former Vice Minister Choi explained on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' the circumstances behind First Lady Kim's solo visit to the Taj Mahal: "In July 2018, when former President Moon Jae-in toured India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed that the two countries jointly hold the Hindu festival Diwali and the groundbreaking ceremony for the Queen Heo Hwang-ok Memorial Park." He added, "In November of the same year, Prime Minister Modi requested a visit to India, but as former President Moon had other commitments, it became difficult for him to visit, so India invited First Lady Kim Jung-sook."
He continued, "At that time, India even said they would prepare state-level protocol and invite her as a head of state if First Lady Kim visited," and stated, "All countries' heads of state or first ladies visiting India go to the Taj Mahal upon India's request."
First Lady Kim Jung-sook is explaining the excellence of 'Hanji' after receiving an explanation about part of the restoration process of Hungarian records at the Hungarian National Archives in Budapest, Hungary, on the afternoon of November 3, 2021 (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
He further elaborated that generally, the president's spouse is responsible for strengthening bilateral ties, soft issues, and public diplomacy. Former Vice Minister Choi said, "Historically, the first person to initiate first lady diplomacy was Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of former U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt," adding, "She made a precedent for first lady diplomacy by visiting British and Irish overseas U.S. military bases alone during wartime as a Red Cross representative." He also noted, "First ladies of past U.S. presidents have also engaged in first lady diplomacy," mentioning, "Michelle Obama, wife of former U.S. President Barack Obama, visited China twice alone and also traveled to Europe and Africa."
Former Vice Minister Choi compared the current controversy surrounding First Lady Kim Jung-sook to the so-called luxury shopping controversy involving President Yoon Suk-yeol's spouse, Kim Kun-hee. He pointed out, "The President of South Korea went to the battlefield, which can be considered the center of international politics in Ukraine, yet people keep raising issues about the current first lady's luxury shopping," and added, "During the European tour last July, President Yoon made a surprise visit to Ukraine, and meanwhile, reports surfaced that Kim Kun-hee shopped for luxury goods in Lithuania."
This controversy arose after former President Moon Jae-in mentioned First Lady Kim's solo visit to the Taj Mahal in India as the "first solo diplomacy by a president's spouse" in his recently published first post-retirement memoir, 'From the Margins to the Center.' In the memoir, former President Moon stated, "Since first ladies often assist presidents through spousal diplomacy, calling it the 'first diplomacy by a first lady' is misleading. The accurate expression is 'first solo diplomacy' by the spouse," and added, "The reason I explain this in detail is because there are still people who maliciously distort it as if my wife took a sightseeing trip using public funds."
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