Choi Jae-hyung's Side Responds to 'Family Gathering Venue' Controversy: "We Don't Confuse Construction Types Like That"

Open Democratic Party Spokesperson Raises Possibility That Official Residence Staff Prepared Family Gathering
Choi Jae-hyung's Side States "No Audit Office Staff Present; Family Members All Participated in Meal Preparation and Dishwashing"

Photo by Choi Jaehyung Camp

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] The campaign team of Choi Jae-hyung, former Auditor General and presidential candidate of the People Power Party, denied allegations that "a family gathering was held at the official residence and staff were mobilized," stating, "We are not so careless as to confuse public and private matters."

On the 6th, the public relations special advisory group of Choi's 'Open Camp' responded to a question from Kim Seong-hoe, spokesperson of the Open Democratic Party, asking, "Is the place where the family dinner photo was taken the official residence of the Auditor General?" by saying, "There is no dining hall at the Audit Office, and the place in the photo is a restaurant on the first floor where all former Auditor Generals have dined."

Photo by Kim Seonghoe, captured from the Facebook page of the Open Democratic Party spokesperson

Earlier, on the previous day (the 6th), Spokesperson Kim posted on his social media, "Please answer whether the place where the photo was taken and the meal preparation were done by the family themselves, and who took the photo," raising doubts by adding, "If the family prepared the meal themselves and only used the official residence, it is not a particularly problematic action."

In response, Choi's team said, "At that time, no Audit Office staff were present, and all meal preparation and dishwashing were done together by the family. The photo was taken by one of the family members."

They added, "If, by any chance, official residence staff were mobilized to prepare the meal during the Lunar New Year holiday, that would be a problematic action. However, the family of candidate Choi Jae-hyung did not act so indiscriminately. We appreciate your great interest."

Meanwhile, some criticized the singing of the national anthem at Choi's family gathering as "totalitarian." In response, four daughters-in-law (Yeomyeong-hee, Lee So-yeon, Ahn Sook-hee, and Lee Jeong-eun) of the late Choi Young-seop, former Navy Reserve Colonel and father of Choi, issued a statement saying, "If the country prospers, we would sing the national anthem a thousand or ten thousand times."

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