"'Except for spouse, verify only Yoon if possible' Lee Jae-myung; Lee Nak-yeon and Chung Sye-kyun say 'Family verification is also necessary'"

'Yoon's Wife' Kim Geon-hee Verification Sparks Disagreement Among Ruling Party Presidential Candidates
Lee Nak-yeon: "The President's Family Is the Face of the Nation... Strict Verification Is Necessary"
Chung Sye-kyun: "Family Verification Is Directly Related to the Regime's Morality"

Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province and a preliminary presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Amid various allegations surrounding Kim Gun-hee, the wife of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, the issue of vetting presidential candidates' families is emerging within the political sphere. Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung stated, "Verification should be limited to the candidate's own issues as much as possible," while former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon and former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun emphasized that "verification is necessary."

In an interview with Yonhap News Agency held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government on the 10th, Governor Lee said, "I am not sure if it is appropriate to politically exaggerate issues such as a spouse's pre-marriage matters."

He added, "Of course, if the spouse committed wrongful acts and the candidate covered for them, then it is the candidate's issue," and "It is right to limit the infinite verification to the candidate's own issues as much as possible."

Kim, the wife of former Prosecutor General Yoon, faces allegations including working at entertainment establishments under the name 'Julie' in the past, plagiarism in her doctoral dissertation before marriage, and preferential stock trading suspicions.

Former Representative Lee Nak-yeon, a preliminary candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential primary, is announcing the 'Women’s Safety' policy on the morning of the 11th at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

As Governor Lee appeared to distance himself from verifying allegations related to former Prosecutor General Yoon's wife, presidential candidates within the party immediately launched an offensive.

On the 11th, former leader Lee Nak-yeon met with reporters at the National Assembly Communication Office and stated regarding Governor Lee's remarks, "While the privacy of the president's family should be protected, strict verification is necessary regarding any illegality." He emphasized, "As I have mentioned several times in TV debates, the president and the president's family are the face of the nation."

Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also raised his voice of criticism on his Twitter regarding Governor Lee's remarks. He said, "Verification of family and close associates is directly related to the regime's morality and integrity," and questioned, "Governor Lee's statement that 'verification should be limited to the candidate as much as possible' is not a suggestion to cover up the corruption of Yoon Seok-yeol's wife and mother-in-law, who thoroughly investigated Cho Kuk's family, right?"

As the controversy grew, Governor Lee met with reporters after announcing the preliminary primary cut-off and said, "I thought it would be a bit much to hold a husband responsible for things that happened before marriage," but added, "If pre-marriage matters continue after marriage and are something the person should be responsible for, then that point must be thoroughly verified."

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