Our special correspondent in South Korea Lin Sen
html On the evening of the 7th, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yue publicly responded for the first time to the controversy over his wife Kim Jian-hee's acceptance of a Dior bag in an exclusive interview program broadcast on KBS TV Channel 1. He said that Jin Jianxi was "not cold and heartless enough" and failed to refuse the other party's gifts. In addition, he also pointed out that the person who delivered the package was carrying secret camera equipment, so the matter was a political conspiracy.According to Yonhap News Agency’s report on the 8th, Yin Xiyue said that this incident occurred before he and his wife moved into the presidential residence in Yongshan District. At that time, Kim Gun-hee's office was located on the ground floor of an apartment in Seocho-dong. Choi Jae-young, a pastor living in the United States and Kim Gun-hee's father were from the same hometown. He said that it was a pity that his wife did not refuse categorically. "If I had been informed of this situation in advance, based on my 26 years of judicial experience, I would have taken a firmer attitude."
Yin Xiyue also explained to Jin Jianxi that from the wife's perspective, When faced with various complex situations, it may be difficult to say no easily.
In November last year, the Korean online media "Voice of Seoul" released an exclusive report, stating that Kim Jianxi received a Dior bag worth 3 million won (approximately 16,000 yuan) from Cui Zaiying on September 13, 2022, and released Live video. It is reported that the video was secretly shot by Choi Jae-young with his watch, and the gift was prepared by "Voice of Seoul". Previously, Jin Jianxi accused the secret filming behavior and believed that it was a deliberate frame-up.
Yin Xiyue also echoed this view in this interview. He said that considering that more than a year had passed since the incident and it was revealed before the congressional elections in April this year, "it can be seen that this is a well-planned political conspiracy." Yin Xiyue also said that the presidential residence should be effectively managed at present, and the boundaries need to be further clarified in the future to avoid causing misunderstanding, uneasiness and worry among the people.
Yin Xiyue has been under great pressure since the video of "The First Lady Accepting the Bag" was exposed. According to Korean media reports, when asked whether he planned to appoint a special investigator to investigate corruption issues among members of the president’s family, or to establish an office of the “first lady”’s private secretary, Yoon Seok-yue said that the special investigator should be selected by Congress. His office is considering creating an office of first lady affairs, but he has reservations about how effective those measures would be in preventing such incidents.
When asked whether he and Kim Gun-hee would have a dispute over accepting a designer bag, Yin Xiyue smiled and replied: "Not at all."
Park Jung-ha, spokesperson of South Korea's ruling National Power Party, expressed support for Yin Xiyue's response, saying The president was aware of the public's concerns about the incident and made it clear through a television talk show that "further debate on this issue would not be beneficial." Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People's Power Party and the mayor of Daegu, said on social media on the 8th: "It was just gossip at the beginning, but it was not handled properly. The controversy grew and became a national issue." "Now it's time to turn page's time."
Korean public opinion continued to question. South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo commented on the 8th that the president’s statement on Kim Gun-hee’s acceptance of a designer bag was lacking in both content and form. “His answer was more inclined to defend than to apologize. It gave the impression that he said what he wanted to say. What he said is not what the people want to hear." People also expressed doubts. South Korea's "World Daily" reported that some netizens said that "this was a pre-arranged conversation" and "the content has also been edited." ▲
