[Global Times Special Correspondent in South Korea Lin Sen Global Times Special Correspondent Zhen Xiang Han Wen] "Where did Kim Jianxi go?" When the whereabouts of Princess Kate of the United Kingdom attracted global attention, the "Korea Herald" asked the above question on the

[Global Times Special Correspondent in South Korea Lin Sen Global Times Special Correspondent Zhen Xiang Han Wen] "Where did Kim Jianxi go?" When the whereabouts of Princess Kate of the United Kingdom attracted global attention, the "Korea Herald" issued the above question on the 19th. Korean media found that as of now, South Korea's "First Lady", who has repeatedly attracted attention and controversy, has been out of the public eye for more than three months, and this situation seems to have no sign of ending. The South Korean parliamentary election is about to take place. Some Korean media analyzed that Kim Gun-hee's "disappearance" may be to help Yoon Seok-yue and the ruling National Power Party win the election. Previously, the "First Lady" had been involved in scandals and suffered criticism. Yonhap News Agency stated that the National Power Party wants to change the current "domestic and small opposition" pattern through parliamentary elections, thereby providing support for the stability of the regime. South Korea's "Daily Economic News" stated on the 19th that there are only three weeks until the parliamentary election, and there are still many variables in the election. The differences between the presidential office and the ruling party are similar to the situation between the Blue House and the Saenuri Party before the election during the Park Geun-hye administration. In the same vein, "the ruling camp should reflect deeply on the experience of losing power in national affairs after losing the election eight years ago."

"Deliberately keeping her away from the spotlight"

"Korea Herald" stated on the 20th that Kim Jianxi has not appeared in public since returning from a visit to the Netherlands with Yin Xiyue on December 15 last year. Especially at this year's 105th anniversary ceremony of the "March First Movement", Kim Jianxi's absence is "unprecedented" because since Kim Dae-jung took office as president in 1998, every "First Lady" will attend this ceremony. According to reports, the South Korean President's Office remained silent on the reason for Kim Jianxi's absence from the event, and did not mention that the "First Lady" had any health problems.

reported that as the "First Lady", Jin Jianxi has always played a very active role in Yin Xiyue's public activities, and often publicly expressed concerns about social issues such as animal rights and environmental protection, so her continued "disappearance" is very unusual. . Korean media analyzed that the presidential office may have deliberately prevented Kim Jian-hee from attending official events to keep her away from the spotlight "to reduce the accumulation of negative emotions."

According to previous reports by Korean media, Kim Jianxi received a brand-name bag worth the equivalent of 3 million won (approximately RMB 16,000) from the American pastor Choi Jae-young on September 13, 2022. The process was filmed by the camera built into the other party's watch. Down. This matter caused huge controversy after it was exposed in November 2023. In addition, in January this year, South Korea's opposition party proposed a bill calling for a special investigation into the "First Lady"'s alleged involvement in stock manipulation 10 years ago, but it was rejected by Yin Xiyue's veto.

"Korea Herald" stated that in early February, Yin Xiyue's approval rate fell below 30% for the first time in nine months, and Kim Jianxi's continued absence seemed to provide Yin Xiyue with an opportunity to gradually restore his approval rate starting in mid-February. According to data from Gallup Korea, Yoon Seok-yue's approval rating reached 39% for two consecutive weeks before the first week of March. This number is the highest since December 2022.

According to a report by South Korea's KBC TV station on the 19th, Park Ji-won, the former director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, said in a TV program that the "First Lady" has been "missing" recently, and people are asking "Where is Kim Gun-hee? Find her?" sound. In response to the host's question, "Shouldn't the 'First Lady' be in the presidential residence?" Park Ji-won said, "I don't know whether it is in the official residence or overseas." Park Zhiyuan said that the "First Lady" must show up and called on the new Congress formed after the election of members of Congress in April to conduct a "special inspection" of Kim Jianxi. South Korea’s Kyunghyang Shimbun believes that Kim Jian-hee may not appear in public before the election of members of the National Assembly.

Yin Xiyue faces the impact of "internal strife"

South Korea's 22nd parliamentary election will be held on April 10. Major parties such as the National Power Party and the largest opposition Democratic Party will compete for 300 seats in the National Assembly. Yonhap News Agency stated that this election is not only a "mid-term assessment" of the Yin Xiyue government, but also will determine the leadership of the Congress in the next four years, so it has attracted much attention.

Some Korean media said that in addition to worrying that Kim Jianxi may have a negative impact on the election of the National Power Party, Yin Xiyue is also facing the impact of "internal strife."“There is another conflict between the Presidential Office and the National Power Party.” The Korea Times said on the 20th that two senior officials of the Yoon Seok-yue government have been “uneasy” recently. The person involved, Lee Jong-seop, the newly appointed South Korean ambassador to Australia and former minister of the Ministry of National Defense, traveled to Australia without the permission of the Senior Public Officials Criminal Investigation Office (Public Investigation Office). The outside world accused Yoon Seok-yue of giving Lee Jong-seop, a major person involved in the case, a new status of "diplomat" and "Condoning his flight"; later, Huang Xiangwu, the Chief Civil Society Secretary of the President's Office, made "threatening" remarks against media people who criticized the government during a lunch with reporters. Under this situation, Han Dongxun, chairman (interim leader) of the Emergency Countermeasures Committee of the National Power Party, repeatedly asked Lee Jong-sub to return to the country to accept the summons from the Public Relations Office, and asked Hwang Sang-moo to resign.

South Korea's "Daily Economic News" stated that the "second conflict" between Yin Xiyue and Han Dongxun is now taking place. In the previous incident of Kim Jianxi "accepting a brand-name bag", Han Dongxun's accusatory statement led to the formation of a "pro-Yin faction" and a "pro-Korea faction" within the party, which then escalated into a disagreement between the ruling party's senior officials and the presidential office. South Korea's KBS TV station said that the results of this current Congress election will determine the fate of potential candidates in the next general election. For Han Dongxun, this election is equivalent to a "preliminary test" for the 2027 general election.

It is worth noting that Yonhap News Agency quoted a senior official in the President's Office on the 20th as saying that Lee Jong-sub will voluntarily return to the country in the near future and cooperate with the Public Relations Office's investigation. On the same day, a spokesman for the President's Office said that President Yoon Seok-yue accepted the resignation submitted by Hwang Sang-moo that day. The report analyzed that with less than three weeks left before the election of members of the National Assembly, the Yin Xiyue government hopes to avoid the negative impact of relevant controversies on the election.

The zero-sum game has evolved into a political quagmire

"If it loses the parliamentary election, the Yin government will not be able to exert its influence." South Korea's "Chosun Ilbo" stated on the 20th that every government has a mission assigned by the times, and the mission of the Yin government is to complete the labor , pensions, education, regulation and other core reforms to restore the country’s growth momentum. Because these structural reforms have not yet been completed or initiated, the Korean economy is at a crossroads of falling into secular stagnation. Yoon Seok-yue has said that he will unswervingly promote structural reforms, but the Democratic Party of Korea, which controls the National Assembly, has rejected almost all reforms. According to reports, there are predictions in political circles that the Democratic Party of Korea and the Fatherland Reform Party will get 170 to 180 seats in this parliamentary election. If the National Power Party loses the election, Yun Xiyue's national political reform will inevitably end before it even begins. "What will Yoon Seok-yue and the National Power Party do with the remaining three years of their term?"

An article on the website of the American "Diplomat" magazine stated that South Korean politics was in chaos before the April congressional elections. Both the National Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea face the problem of low support for their party leaders and public dissatisfaction. South Korea's zero-sum political game has turned into a political quagmire.