Kang Kyung-hwa on Controversy Over Husband's Trip to the US: "My Feelings Are Very Complicated" (Comprehensive)

"Continuing Communication with Husband... Understand It's Not a Situation for Easy Return"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha expressed on the 5th that she feels "very conflicted" regarding the controversy over her husband, Yonsei University Professor Emeritus Lee Il-byeong's trip to the United States.

Minister Kang said around 6:30 p.m. as she was leaving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, "I am continuously communicating with (my husband)." When asked whether her husband had revealed plans to return to Korea, she replied, "Since he has been planning for a long time and has made arrangements with many people and friends, I understand that it is not a situation where he can easily return."

Professor Lee had posted on his blog for several months about his plans and preparations to visit the U.S. coast and the Caribbean by yacht. The blog, which had been public to everyone, was switched to private early that morning.

After expressing an apology to the media the previous day, Minister Kang seemed to feel burdened by the spreading controversy and minimized public exposure while carrying out her schedule. Around 2 p.m., she visited the Kuwaiti Embassy in Yongsan-gu to pay respects for the recently deceased Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait. At the embassy, she told reporters waiting in front, "I came to offer condolences, so please be quiet now. I will speak again if I have the opportunity."

On the same day, around 8 a.m., Minister Kang arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Doryeom-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and instead of using the usual second-floor lobby, she moved to her office through the underground parking lot. This move appears to be conscious of the press waiting in the lobby at her arrival time to hear her position.

Minister Kang is reportedly focusing on preparing for the upcoming National Assembly audit scheduled for the 7th without making any additional statements about her husband's overseas travel controversy for the time being. It is expected that criticism regarding her husband's trip to the U.S. will pour out during this audit. When asked about the forecast that the controversy would arise during the audit, Minister Kang responded, "Yes, that's correct."

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