"Gyeonggi-do Queen" vs "Like the Shin Jeong-a Incident": Ruling and Opposition Clash Over 'Candidate's Wife' During Supplementary Budget Review

From Spouse-Related Allegations to Candidate Qualification Controversies
Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom Draws the Line: "Not a Matter for Government Intervention"

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum briefly touches his head while attending the full meeting of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 8th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party clashed on the 8th during the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts meeting held to review the supplementary budget bill. The confrontation was not about the national budget but centered on the controversy surrounding the spouses of the two parties' presidential candidates.

The first to open fire was the People Power Party. On that day, Yoon Youngseok, a People Power Party lawmaker, addressed Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, saying, "I even think that candidate Lee Jae-myung and his spouse Kim Hye-kyung have reigned as king and queen of Gyeonggi Province," and insisted, "They must be strictly punished." This was interpreted as a remark targeting the so-called 'excessive protocol controversy' recently centered around Kim.

Another lawmaker from the same party, Choi Hyungdoo, also criticized, "(Kim) used a work card for personal purposes in some local governments while all citizens are tightening their belts due to the COVID-19 aftermath."

In response, Prime Minister Kim drew a line, saying, "Since this concerns the presidential candidates and their families, it is not appropriate for the current government to comment."

However, opposition lawmakers did not back down. Lee Jongseong, a People Power Party lawmaker, mentioned allegations that Kim obtained medicine through a secretary's proxy prescription, stating, "Whether a candidate or a private citizen, securing medicine through another person's prescription itself violates medical law," and urged an immediate start of an administrative audit.

The plenary session of the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Special Committee / Photo by Yonhap News

Prime Minister Kim raised his voice, saying, "How can the current government intervene in matters concerning the families of presidential candidates at this point?"

As the verbal exchange between the opposition and Prime Minister Kim intensified, Democratic Party lawmakers responded by bringing up the 'false resume controversy' involving Kim Geon-hee, wife of People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl.

Yoo Jungjoo, a Democratic Party lawmaker, listed suspicions about Kim's false academic and career credentials while addressing Prime Minister Kim, saying, "This reminds me of another 'Shin Jeong-ah incident,'" and strongly criticized, "It would not be inappropriate to call it Ripley’s syndrome."

She added, "It is terrifying to see the opposition presidential candidate's mindset, who repeatedly talks about law and principles while applying abnormal standards that change depending on the person."

Shin Hyunyoung, another lawmaker from the same party, referred to the 'RE100 (Renewable Energy 100% transition campaign)' that became a topic during the first presidential candidate TV debate. She said, "Although it includes terms that ordinary people may have never heard of, we are experiencing the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, and these have become important words in our lives," adding, "I do not know of any case where someone became president by luck or last-minute cramming."

This was interpreted as a remark targeting candidate Yoon, who asked, "What is that?" when candidate Lee Jae-myung asked, "How will you handle RE100?" during the TV debate.

Regarding this, lawmaker Shin asked, "How much experience and understanding of state affairs do you think are necessary for a president to fulfill historical responsibilities?" Prime Minister Kim again responded, "That is a statement that could be directly related to the presidential election," and withheld his answer.

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