First lady thrust back into spotlight over unofficial aide

President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee walk toward Air Force One at Madrid―Barajas Airport in Madrid, June 30. Newsis

Anyone close to first lady without formal title is easy target for political attacks

By Jung Min-ho

In the run-up to the presidential election, President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to abolish the office that had supported the president's spouse amid controversy surrounding the luxury wardrobe of former first lady Kim Jung-sook.

Two months after he stepped into office, Yoon is already struggling to keep that promise. His wife, Kim Keon-hee, has been thrust back into the spotlight following revelations that she received support from the wife of Lee Won-mo, a presidential aide, during their official trip to Madrid for the NATO Summit (June 28-30).

The massive influence-peddling scandal that eventually brought down former President Park Geun-hye is still fresh in the public's memory and anyone close to the president and his wife without an official title is an easy target for political attacks in Korea.

According to sources at the presidential office Wednesday, Lee's wife, whose name remains undisclosed, helped arrange events in Madrid. But the presidential office denied she was as an assistant to the first lady during the NATO trip.

"She had never accompanied or assisted the first lady," an official at the office said.

Rep. Woo Sang-ho, the interim leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), said it was inappropriate to allow a civilian to take part in the trip.

"Choi Soon-sil, the woman who meddled in state affairs, was also a longtime confidant of former President Park," Woo said during a CBS radio show. "On Air Force One, many state secrets are handled … I think this issue should be addressed at the National Assembly."

Rep. Kang Hoon-sik also accused the presidential office of giving Lee's wife access to confidential information, such as who the president was going to meet and where he planned to visit. Kang claimed that the incident constitutes "a lapse in state discipline."

"Only five years ago, candlelight protests erupted in anger following the influence-peddling scandal. I will not ignore what could be another such scandal. I demand an investigation," he said in a statement.

The presidential office said there are no legal issues with civilians joining the entourage for the president's overseas trip.

"Given her experience as a planner for international events, she had the expertise we needed … She was not even paid for what she did there due to concerns over conflicts of interest," the official said.

The presidential office, he added, reviewed whether to hire the woman, who has known the president and the first lady for a long time as the wife of the former prosecutor, but concluded that it would be inappropriate.

First lady Kim Keon-hee attends a dinner with Korean residents in Spain at a hotel in Madrid, June 29. Newsis

From the very beginning, Kim ― with her charming appearance and keen sense of fashion style ― has drawn much attention, unlike previous first ladies. Yet her unconventional approach to the role is expected to remain as a risk factor for Yoon, who himself is a political novice.

This was not the first time Kim had provoked controversy by being accompanied by a personal aide. When she visited Bongha, the hometown of former President Roh Moo-hyun, on June 13 to meet his widow Kwon Yang-sook, the first lady was accompanied by a woman. Opposition lawmakers raised suspicions that she might be a shaman. She was later revealed to be a college professor and Kim's former colleague.

Two days later, Yoon admitted that his wife needs administrative support to play the role of first lady and hinted at making (or reviving) an office to handle that job.

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