[Comprehensive] Despite Yoon's wife Kim Geon-hee's explanation... The ruling party fiercely attacks, saying "People will keep looking for Julie"

Autumn: "'Julie'? I've heard of it... Presidential candidates should keep their surroundings clean"
Yoon's wife Kim Gun-hee: "Am I Julie? Someone wrote a novel about it"

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol with his wife Kim Geon-hee at the ceremony to receive his appointment as Prosecutor General on July 25, 2019.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Controversy is brewing within the political sphere over the so-called 'X-file,' which allegedly contains suspicions related to former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol's wife and mother-in-law. The issue centers on claims that Yoon's wife, Kim Geon-hee, once worked as a hostess under the stage name 'Julie.' The ruling party has been raising suspicions daily, with some members claiming to have "heard of" the name 'Julie.'

On the 1st, former Open Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Jin-ae posted on her Facebook, "I wondered who first mentioned 'Julie,' and surprisingly, it was Yoon Seok-yeol's wife, Kim Geon-hee," criticizing, "The moment she said 'I am not Julie,' what do you think people’s minds will conjure? This is fundamentally flawed."

Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Cheong-rae also posted on Facebook a piece titled 'Self-Defeating Move,' opening with, "There is a book by American professor George Lakoff, the originator of the frame concept, called 'Don't Think of an Elephant.' It explains that telling someone not to think of an elephant only makes them think more about it."

He continued, "'Am I Gapcheolsup?' 'Am I MB's avatar?' During the last presidential election, Ahn Cheol-soo’s foolish debate tactics like these led to a crushing defeat in the frame war," harshly criticizing, "It was the worst of the worst in TV debates."

Then, Lawmaker Jeong sarcastically remarked, "Today, Yoon Seok-yeol’s wife mentioned Julie. This too will be the worst of the worst as a countermeasure," adding, "People will wander far and wide looking for Julie from now on. Don’t think of Julie!"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Recently, on YouTube and online communities, suspicions have spread that Kim worked as a hostess under the alias 'Julie' at a nightlife venue in Gangnam, Seoul, where she met prosecutors, including former Prosecutor General Yoon.

In particular, former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, considered a leading presidential candidate from the ruling party, caused a stir by saying she had "heard of" the name 'Julie.'

On the previous day, Choo appeared on YTN Radio’s 'Hwang Bo-seon’s Start of the Morning' and responded affirmatively when asked if she had heard of 'Julie.' She questioned, "Isn’t it necessary for a presidential candidate to be clean not only personally but also in terms of family, relatives, and friends?"

When asked if Yoon’s X-file could become a fatal obstacle, she replied, "As Minister of Justice, I have conducted inspections and investigations. The problems were quite serious."

She added, "Presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol will likely play the political victim card with the X-file, but if people don’t fall for it and instead look into it carefully and investigate diligently, there will come a time when the public will say Choo Mi-ae was right."

Former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is giving a speech declaring her candidacy for the 20th presidential election at a studio in Heyri, Paju, Gyeonggi Province on the 23rd of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]

However, Kim dismissed the controversy, saying, "There are all sorts of ridiculous stories about me being Julie or a hotel hostess, which is absurd."

In an interview with 'News Bus,' she said, "(Rumors say) I worked there for several years and was the ace (the best)," but added, "I am not that kind of beauty. I am originally a bit tomboyish and easygoing, and rather a workaholic."

She continued, "That’s why I earned two master's degrees and even a doctorate, lecture at universities, and run a business. Even if I wanted to be Julie, I don’t have the time."

Kim stated, "If I were Julie, someone who remembers the Julie who worked there or someone who saw her would have come forward," and denied the allegations, saying, "Since I never did such a thing, everything will be revealed over time. This is just someone’s fiction."

Regarding rumors that she cohabited with a promising married prosecutor in the past, she rebutted, "Friends lived at my house. I don’t have time to cohabit with anyone, so how could I? How scary is our public servant society? Is that prosecutor a fool? This is a one-sided attack for gain."

Meanwhile, on the 29th, former Prosecutor General Yoon said at his presidential candidacy press conference regarding the X-file controversy, "I have not yet seen the document," adding, "If baseless slander with unknown sources is spread, the public will judge."

However, he added, "Anyone running for an elected office must undergo unlimited scrutiny regarding their ability and morality," and said, "If there is reasonable evidence related to my ability to govern or morality, I will explain it in detail so that the public will not be curious."

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