Hwang Hee Denies Allegations of Children's Study Abroad Expenses "Received Help from Sister-in-law and Younger Sibling"

Spouse's Alleged F1 Visa Issuance Irregularity Met with "Interviewed but Failed" Explanation

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism nominee Hwang Hee appeared at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 9th and responded to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Hwang Hee, the nominee for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, explained the suspicions regarding the study abroad expenses of his spouse and children in the United States by saying, "We received a lot of help from my sister-in-law and younger brother who live locally."

At the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 9th, Hwang stated, "My sister-in-law lived right in front of the house where my wife and daughter lived in Boston, and my younger brother was also living in New York." He added, "At that time, I was not a member of the National Assembly, so it was difficult and challenging, but I tried to send about 2.5 million to 3.5 million KRW per month."

Hwang sent an average of 27 million to 50 million KRW annually to his spouse and children who studied in the U.S. for five years starting in 2011. During the same period, his total income was 142 million KRW. Various suspicions arose regarding the funding of the study abroad expenses since the remittance amount was less than the total income.

Hwang Hee, nominee for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is delivering opening remarks at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 9th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Hwang also denied allegations that his spouse obtained a student visa (F1) through illegal means to save on early study abroad expenses for their child. He stated, "My wife went to the U.S. on an F1 visa and took interviews at New York University TC School and Boston Smith College but was rejected." He added, "My wife was not in good health, and I also lost an election, so I think we wanted to avoid school enrollment."

Regarding the controversy over early study abroad for their child, he explained, "The child attended a public school in Arlington free of charge, which is attended by children from lower-income families." He said, "If the purpose had been early study abroad, we would not have sent the child there, nor would we have come back to Korea."

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