Kim Yong-nam "Kim Gun-hee's Debut? Possibility of Exploitation by the Ruling Power... Considering It"

"Possibility of Reigniting Issues with Prosecution Summons Coinciding with Kim Geon-hee's Appearance"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate (left), and his wife Kim Geon-hee [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Former lawmaker Kim Yong-nam, who served as the public relations special advisor for Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, expressed on the 23rd that the timing of Yoon's wife Kim Gun-hee's public appearance is still "under consideration."

On the same day, during YTN Radio's "Lee Dong-hyung's News Face-off," Kim said regarding Kim Gun-hee's potential appearance, "In a presidential election, it is natural for the spouse to show themselves to the public at an appropriate time and assist in the campaign. However, there is a possibility that this could be exploited by the ruling power."

He expressed concern, saying, "She has effectively made her debut in front of the public, but if it is known that she is debuting or about to debut, there is a sufficient possibility that investigative agencies might summon her, thereby throwing a wrench into things."

Additionally, Kim commented on the recent incident where Yoon experienced nearly two minutes of silence during a live broadcast due to a teleprompter malfunction, stating, "It was pre-planned with the event organizers to use a teleprompter before the event proceeded."

He continued, "It is not unusual for not only politicians but also key figures to use teleprompters. However, whether it was a technical error or a staff mistake, the teleprompter did not operate as planned," and explained the situation at the time, "They were waiting for the event to proceed as planned, but it seems it took a bit longer than expected."

He added, "As a result, from the viewers' perspective, it was undoubtedly an awkward scene, but this seems to reflect that the candidate still lacks experience in a kind of media-friendly aspect," and said, "During the party primaries, the candidate participated in about 18 debates. Just as he showed continuous improvement through those debates, I believe he will also demonstrate growing ability to handle unexpected situations like this."

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is delivering a greeting at the core party officials' video conference held at the People Power Party Seoul Metropolitan Office in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, on the morning of the 23rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, on the 22nd, Yoon took the podium to deliver the keynote speech at the 'Global Leaders Forum 2021' held at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. However, the teleprompter malfunctioned, preventing him from starting the speech, and he was seen clearing his throat awkwardly. Eventually, Yoon began his speech after about two minutes.

At the time, Yoon's camp explained that they were waiting for guidance from the event organizers regarding the situation. Lee Yang-su, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party's Central Election Countermeasures Committee, stated in a notice, "The teleprompter did not operate during Yoon's speech, and the candidate was unaware of the reason and was waiting for normalization," adding, "Since it was a live broadcast, it was reasonable and natural to wait for the event organizers' instructions on how to proceed in this unexpected situation."

Meanwhile, Kim Gun-hee is currently facing various allegations including involvement in stock manipulation of Deutsche Motors, plagiarism of academic papers, and false credentials.

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