Kim Eo-jun, Kim Hye-kyung deny "no evidence Kim ordered personal errands" allegations

Kim Hye-kyung Suspected of Private Use of Corporate Card... Kim Eo-jun "We Must Watch"

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun. Photo by TBS Radio, screenshot from 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Amid allegations of 'private use of public officials' involving Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, broadcaster Kim Eo-jun claimed on the 3rd that "there is no evidence that Kim Hye-kyung ordered that task (errand)."

On that day, Kim said on his TBS radio show 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' "Looking at the articles released now, it is said that Mr. Bae, a grade 5 special appointment official, ordered a grade 7 administrative officer to prescribe and deliver medicine."

He continued, "At first, I thought Kim Hye-kyung had ordered a public official whom she could not command to run a private errand, but it turns out that a grade 5 public official ordered a grade 7 official, right? For additional articles to come out, there must be evidence that Kim Hye-kyung ordered that task," he pointed out.

Regarding reports that Kim Hye-kyung misused the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Secretary Office's corporate card for private purposes, Kim said, "there are inconsistencies."

He added, "(When the corporate card was used) outside the allowed time frame, it seems that payment was made with a personal card and then replaced with the corporate card. Looking at the presented receipts, the cancellation of the personal card and the corporate card payment times are exactly adjacent," adding, "Based on what has come out so far, I don't know. We need to watch closely."

Kim Hye-kyung, wife of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, expressed her thoughts on her visit to Gyeongnam after visiting a oyster farm in Tongyeong on the last day of her 2-day trip to Gyeongnam on the 27th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, KBS raised suspicions on the 2nd that Kim Hye-kyung privately misused public funds from the Gyeonggi Provincial Secretary Office. According to the report, when Lee was serving as governor of Gyeonggi Province, Mr. Bae, a grade 5 public official in the General Affairs Division of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, instructed Mr. A, a grade 7 official in the Secretary Office, to "remove the price tag from the beef and move it to Sunnae." 'Sunnae' refers to Sunnae-dong, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, known as the location of the candidate couple's residence.

In June last year, Bae also instructed A via Telegram and phone calls, saying, "Three salads, sushi, and sashimi rice bowls for tomorrow afternoon," and "The madam asked to have sushi delivered tomorrow." During this process, suspicions arose about 'switch payment,' where A first paid with a personal card and later re-paid with a corporate card.

As the controversy grew, Bae issued a statement apologizing, saying, "I asked A to do something that no one ordered. I mistakenly thought that knowing the candidate for a long time was a privilege, and I wanted to be in good favor with the candidate couple, so I made unreasonable demands beyond common sense."

He added, "Various errands such as delivering food to the governor also stemmed from my immature mind. I had no authority to give orders, and no one instructed me, but I made unfair demands to A."

Kim Hye-kyung also released a statement saying, "Everything is my fault. I should have clearly distinguished between public and private matters, but I received help because of my friendship with Mr. Bae. However, I did not receive constant assistance," adding, "Once again, I apologize to the public for causing concern."

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