Controversy Over Hypocrisy and Secondary Harm Blamed on Whistleblower in 'Kim Hye-kyung Allegations' Case

Woo Sang-ho "Kim Hye-kyung Suspicion Seems Not Taken Seriously by the Public"
Song Young-gil "I Also Have Had a Secretary Buy Medicine for Me"
"Suspected to Have Been Exposed Because of Money" 'Secondary Harm' Controversy
Opposition "If Lee Didn't Know About Gapjil, He Is Incompetent; If He Ignored It, He Is an Accomplice" Fierce Attack

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and his spouse Kim Hye-kyung. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Allegations that Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, ordered personal errands from a special appointment public official A at Gyeonggi Provincial Government and misused a corporate card have caused a stir, and the Democratic Party's response is also under criticism.

Some members of the Democratic Party's election campaign committee (ECC) have repeatedly blamed the whistleblower with remarks such as "the intention of the tip-off is suspicious" and "if the instructions were problematic, they should have quit," spreading controversy over secondary victimization. The Democratic Party, which has long been criticized for 'double standards,' is facing strong criticism for still repeating past behaviors.

Hyun Geun-taek, spokesperson for the Democratic Party ECC, posted on Facebook on the 5th that regarding A, who reported Kim's allegations, "Although he thought there was a problem with the instructions, he did not quit, and deliberately recorded calls and captured conversations," adding, "No one says anything when a special appointment official quits due to dissatisfaction with the job. If he thought there was a problem with Ms. Bae's instructions at the time, he could have quit." The Ms. Bae mentioned by the spokesperson is the person who directly instructed A on Kim's personal errands.

Hyun also criticized A's close associate's interview with the media, which stated that "A felt threatened to the point of considering extreme measures and opened a donation account due to financial difficulties," saying, "How should we view someone who claims to be a public interest whistleblower opening a donation account?" and "It could be misunderstood as exposing the issue for money."

He further claimed, "It is said that (A) felt threatened because his voice was revealed on the internet and said he wanted to take extreme measures," adding, "It seems intended to imply that people related to candidate Lee Jae-myung are taking extreme measures, but it is a highly inappropriate remark."

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, apologized on the afternoon of the 4th at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, regarding the controversy over excessive protocol involving his spouse Kim Hye-kyung. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Democratic Party is making statements that downplay the seriousness of the allegations related to Kim or are zealously defending her. Woo Sang-ho, head of the overall election campaign headquarters, said at a press briefing held at the Democratic Party office in Yeouido on the 6th, "Although the public views (Kim's allegations) as inappropriate, compared to various incidents that came out before, it does not seem to be seen as that serious." He suggested that Kim's allegations are not an issue with enough impact to significantly affect candidate Lee's approval ratings.

He continued, "Looking at various reports, it seems to be a problem related to inappropriate personal errands. In any case, we feel sorry," but added, "Our analysis shows that the approval rating is not dropping sharply, so the public seems to be making an appropriate judgment on this issue."

Party leader Song Young-gil, in an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 7th, emphasized that A is a special appointment public official, not an administrative official, saying, "Special appointment public officials originally perform secretarial duties. Even when I am sick, my secretary sometimes buys my medicine," actively defending Kim's proxy prescription allegations. He also called the recent reports "fake news," saying, "The candidate and his spouse have already apologized, but fake news continues to be created, which I think is excessive."

Despite candidate Lee and Kim bowing their heads and apologizing regarding the allegations, some Democratic Party members have shifted blame onto the whistleblower and attacked them, showing a brazen attitude and failing to break away from the 'double standards' behavior. Kwon Young-se, head of the People Power Party's election campaign headquarters, criticized on the 7th at the headquarters meeting, "How is this different from telling a domestic violence victim, 'Why didn't you get divorced before being hit'?" and urged, "If you are a responsible ruling party, at least admit your mistakes, reflect, and apologize."

He added, "From proxy prescriptions, card fraud, to corporate card misuse, all sorts of bad things have happened. If you really didn't know, you are incompetent for failing to manage your surroundings, and if you knew and turned a blind eye, you are an accomplice aiding a crime," and said, "Candidate Lee pretends not to know, blaming Kim, and Kim hides by putting all the blame on the secretary (Ms. Bae). Since so many crimes have been revealed that can no longer be covered up, we strongly urge the candidate to resign and take legal responsibility."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party filed a complaint with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on the 3rd against candidate Lee, Kim, Ms. Bae, and others on charges including abuse of authority and loss of state funds. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office transferred the case to the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office on the 7th.

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