The People Power Party spokesperson became embroiled in controversy over the 'oppa' (older brother) issue that arose from messenger conversations between Myung Tae-gyun, who is suspected of interfering in candidate nominations, and First Lady Kim Geon-hee. After posting on social media referring to her spouse as 'oppa,' she was flooded with comments and text messages accusing her of mocking the First Lady.
On the 18th, Kim Hye-ran, spokesperson for the People Power Party, posted a wedding photo on Facebook, saying, "This year marked our 20th wedding anniversary. Our anniversary was in September, but we both forgot and it passed," and added, "Oppa (my spouse), I'm sorry for making you campaign so hard as a 20th-anniversary gift and disappointing you. Thank you for silently supporting me without nagging when I was having a hard time."
At the end of the post, she wrote, "At this time, oppa is the oppa with a belly who has been lounging around our house for 20 years." Party supporters raised concerns about this part, saying it reminded them of the 'oppa' controversy involving Kim that originated from Mr. Myung.
The post received comments such as, "How can the party spokesperson mock like this?", "Are you a spokesperson for the Democratic Party?", and "Are there that many oppas with bellies? Who on earth is this?" It is also reported that Kim received text messages accusing her of mocking the First Lady.
Yeo Myung, aide to People Power Party lawmaker Kang Seung-gyu, publicly criticized Kim on Facebook. Yeo posted a screenshot of Kim's post, saying, "I thought this was a relay certification post for 'mocking the First Lady,'" and added, "Party lawmakers and aides are working overnight defending against the Democratic Party's political battles in the National Assembly. The spokesperson is a political appointee. At such a critical time, the frivolity of the 'People Power Party spokesperson' posting such a message evokes not just laughter but even a sense of sorrow."
As the controversy continued, on the 19th, Kim posted an additional message on Facebook, stating, "'Oppa with a belly who has been lounging around for 20 years' is obviously my husband. Are you really asking because you don't know? Is there any other way to interpret my post besides referring to my husband?" She added, "Many people get angry asking, 'Why do you call your husband oppa?' but I have called him that my whole life and haven't been able to change it even at this age. It's not something to be criticized for."
She also said, "I have received many abusive text messages saying, 'Are you mocking the First Lady?' without any basis. I don't understand which part is interpreted that way, so can someone please explain?" She deleted the controversial sentence from the original post.
Regarding the aide's post, she added, "Is it ethically or logically acceptable to post defamatory messages about me and upload my photo without permission? I never gave permission, so please take down the photo."
The 'oppa' controversy involving Kim arose when Mr. Myung released KakaoTalk conversations of Kim, in which she sent a message saying, "Please forgive our oppa who speaks foolishly." The opposition speculated that 'oppa' referred to President Yoon. The presidential office explained that 'oppa' referred to Kim's biological older brother, but the controversy persisted.
Later, Mr. Myung told the media and YouTube that the oppa is indeed Kim's biological older brother and explained that the reason for not clarifying earlier was, "I joked. I tricked the media."
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