hankyoreh

President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee attend the commencement ceremony of the Central Police Academy on Aug. 29 in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. (presidential office pool photo)

Suspicions are growing amidst the presidential office’s failure to provide the public with clear explanations concerning multiple subjects, including the cost of relocating the presidential office, the remodeling of the official residence, controversies surrounding jewelry worn by the first lady, and the list of invitees to the presidential inauguration ceremony.

The Democratic Party, which already submitted a request for a parliamentary investigation, is preparing to conduct an inspection into these issues through a parliamentary audit that will begin in October.

The Democratic Party is banking on the belief that the allegations that have been raised around the president’s wife, Kim Keon-hee, since the beginning of Yoon’s time in office, will end up escalating into an explosive scandal.

On Thursday, a senior official in the presidential office commented on criticism that additional government money was spent in the process of moving the presidential office to Yongsan.

According to the official, the cost “was driven according to the needs of each ministry,” adding that these costs were “not a direct cost, but an extra cost incidental to the budget execution process.”

This is an explanation in connection to a comment by Democratic Party lawmaker Han Byung-do, who had previously pointed out that, in addition to the original budget of 49.6 billion won for the relocation of the presidential office, an additional 30.6 billion won (US$22.55 million) had been spent on the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the National Police Agency in the process.

Indeed, the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan triggered a series of additional expenses, including the costs of relocating the Ministry of National Defense facilities, guards, and security forces.

However, the official says this was all “based on the individual judgment of each ministry,” adding that these costs were not directly used for the actual relocation of the office.

“Can we call the cost of returning the Blue House to the people and handing it over to the next generation the cost of relocating the presidential office?” the official asked.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee pledge allegiance to the flag during a luncheon for Korean compatriots in Madrid, Spain, on June 29, 2022. (Yonhap)

The presidential office has also failed to give any explanation regarding the fact that the company awarded the private contract to remodel the presidential residence in Seoul’s Hannam neighborhood was one with which Kim Keon-hee had ties during her time as CEO of Covana Contents.

The presidential office has also remained silent on how or why the CEO of this company was invited to the presidential inauguration ceremony on the “recommendation of the first lady.”

“The presidential office spent at least 30.6 billion won in addition to 49.6 billion won, but no one will explain to the people the truth surrounding this wastage of precious taxpayer money,” Oh Young-hwan, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said on Thursday.

“What’s more, a company with ties to Kim Keon-hee obtained a preferential private contract for the construction of the [presidential] office and the official residence,” Oh said.

“Nevertheless, the presidential office will not tell the truth about the issue of the private contract,” Oh continued, calling the office “people who know no shame, since they have remained silent.”

Suspicions are also growing over the origins of the jewelry that the first lady wore during the NATO summit.

Earlier, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Eui-kyeom raised the issue, saying Kim’s necklace was worth 60 million won, the bracelet 15 million won, and the broach 26 million won, adding that these assets were not disclosed in Kim’s asset report.

In response, the presidential office clarified that “out of the three jewelry pieces, two were borrowed from acquaintances and one purchased from a small business owner, so they are not subject to property reporting.”

However, renting expensive jewelry can lead to controversies over possible strings attached.

In a radio interview with CBS that day, Kim Eui-kyeom brought up the case of former special prosecutor Park Young-soo, saying that Park “had to resign from his post last year after it was discovered that he had rented a foreign car for a few days,” and that Kim knew Park to be “currently under investigation” by prosecutors.

Given the perceived similarities with the first lady’s case, Kim said he “has no choice but to question” whether there was any quid pro quo involved regarding the first lady’s jewelry.

By Um Ji-won, staff reporter; Joh Yun-yeong, staff reporter; Bae Ji-hyun, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]