{"id":2203760,"date":"2024-02-09T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T23:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2203760"},"modified":"2024-02-08T15:08:50","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T06:08:50","slug":"president-yoons-defense-of-first-lady-in-tv-interview-ignites-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/president-yoons-defense-of-first-lady-in-tv-interview-ignites-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"President Yoon\u2019s defense of first lady in TV interview ignites backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.kbs.co.kr\/news\/pc\/view\/view.do?ncd=7885987\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">addressed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the first time allegations surrounding first lady Kim Keon-hee\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/category\/south-korea-news-podcast\/latest\/a-rok-political-bromance-ended-by-a-dior-purse-trump-risk-ep-2\/2203649\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acceptance of a luxury purse<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2022, describing the incident as a result of her failure to \u201ccold-heartedly reject\u201d a gift from a visitor who clandestinely filmed the encounter. In an interview with KBS TV that was filmed on Feb. 4 but aired on Wednesday, Yoon characterized the handbag, valued at around $2,200 (3 million won), as part of a \u201cpolitical maneuver,\u201d emphasizing the need for clearer boundaries to prevent such incidents in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the incident\u2019s potential implications for the ruling party\u2019s image, Yoon suggested that future security measures at the presidential residence would mitigate similar risks. He also discussed plans to establish an office for managing the first lady\u2019s affairs while expressing reservations about its effectiveness in preventing such controversies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The acceptance of a luxury purse is the latest in a series of political scandals that have marred the first lady\u2019s public image. Her past controversies include accusations of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.yna.co.kr\/view\/AEN20230103005800315\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">plagiarism<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreajoongangdaily.joins.com\/news\/2023-12-26\/national\/politics\/DP-pushes-for-special-counsel-to-investigate-first-lady\/1944635\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stock manipulation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, receiving <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreajoongangdaily.joins.com\/2023\/07\/06\/national\/politics\/Land-Ministry-controversy-Yoon-Suk-Yeol\/20230706190609618.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">preferential treatment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for a development project and her company\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.yna.co.kr\/view\/AEN20230302004600315\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">alleged acceptance of bribes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> while Yoon was a prosecutor. These scandals have tarnished her image and, by extension, Yoon\u2019s leadership, projecting an image of aloofness and impunity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This situation, coupled with Yoon\u2019s refusal to issue a public apology, has drawn sharp <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/theminjoo.kr\/main\/sub\/news\/view.php?brd=11&amp;post=1202172\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">criticism<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the main opposition Democratic Party, reinforcing the narrative of a presidency disconnected from legal and ethical standards.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The latest <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gallup.co.kr\/gallupdb\/reportContent.asp?seqNo=1455\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gallup Korea poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shows Yoon&#8217;s approval rating at 29%, which does not bode well for the People Power Party (PPP) ahead of April\u2019s parliamentary elections. The ongoing controversy threatens to deepen the rift between Yoon and PPP interim leader Han Dong-hoon, challenging their <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.yna.co.kr\/view\/AEN20240207007200315?section=national\/politics\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201ctrusting\u201d relationship<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-tags\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/domestic-politics\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol addressed for the first time allegations surrounding first lady Kim Keon-hee\u2019s acceptance of a luxury purse in 2022, describing the incident as a result of her failure to \u201ccold-heartedly reject\u201d a gift from a visitor who clandestinely filmed the encounter. In an interview with KBS TV that was filmed on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2203761,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[27],"class_list":["post-2203760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-briefings","tag-domestic-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>President Yoon\u2019s defense of first lady in TV interview ignites backlash - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/president-yoons-defense-of-first-lady-in-tv-interview-ignites-backlash\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"President Yoon\u2019s defense of first lady in TV interview ignites backlash - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol addressed for the first time allegations surrounding first lady Kim Keon-hee\u2019s acceptance of a luxury purse in 2022, describing the incident as a result of her failure to \u201ccold-heartedly reject\u201d a gift from a visitor who clandestinely filmed the encounter. 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