Cheong, Kim Jeong-suk First Lady and Ji O-young CEO Connection Rumor "No Acquaintance...Fake News"

Yoon Jae-kwan, Deputy Spokesperson of the Blue House
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] On the 9th, the Blue House dismissed as "blatant fake news" the allegations from some quarters that the CEO of 'Geo Young,' a company selected by the government as a public mask distribution channel, has a personal friendship with First Lady Kim Jung-sook, wife of President Moon Jae-in, stating that they "have never met."

Yoon Jae-kwan, deputy spokesperson of the Blue House, said in a press briefing at the Chuncheon Press Center that afternoon, in response to related questions, "Fake news has gone too far," expressing "deep regret" and adding, "We are closely monitoring the situation."

Deputy Spokesperson Yoon explained, "First Lady Kim graduated from Sookmyung Girls' High School, and the CEO of Geo Young graduated from Sookmyung Women's University," and added, "There are rumors connecting 'Sookmyung' to claim they are alumni or that the CEO of a certain home shopping company from the campaign is married to the Geo Young CEO, but that is also not true."

He continued, "There was also a story circulating on social networking services (SNS) that the mask the First Lady wore during a recent market visit was made in Japan, which is also blatant fake news," lamenting, "Such fake news is spreading with logos imitating media outlets like Yonhap News."

Deputy Spokesperson Yoon pointed out, "This is a very serious issue, malicious fake news exploiting the trust in the media," and emphasized, "Producing and distributing baseless fake news is a grave problem." He warned, "Since it causes frustration among the people who are doing their best to overcome COVID-19, the government will respond in principle, including legal action."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.