Yoo In-tae: "Kim Hye-kyung also has unfair points... Most people providing house services are in official residences"

"General Practice... Public Officials Must Be Vigilant and Reform the System"
Regarding Allegations of Personal Use of Business Promotion Cards, "There Are Many Areas Where the Distinction Between Public and Private Is Unclear"

Former Secretary General of the National Assembly Yuin Tae mentioned Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Yoo In-tae, a senior figure in the ruling party and former Secretary-General of the National Assembly, defended Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, regarding allegations of excessive protocol and private use of corporate credit cards, saying, "There is a somewhat unfair aspect," and added, "There are many ambiguous points in distinguishing between official and private use when spending business promotion expenses."

In an interview on June 10 with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' Yoo said, "(Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party presidential candidate's spouse) Kim Geon-hee is a somewhat unique person, with spiritual aspects and various allegations. However, after an employee exposed the Kim Hye-kyung case this time, public sentiment seems to view this as a much bigger negative factor," he stated.

Yoo further claimed that it is unusual for a governor's wife to go grocery shopping herself. He said, "When I asked other local government heads, they said, 'Have you ever seen a governor's wife go grocery shopping at the market? If so, that would probably make the news.'" When the host asked again, "Do governors' wives not go grocery shopping?" Yoo replied, "There is usually a housekeeper at the official residence. Most of them are like that."

Regarding whether non-official residence management staff, such as general affairs department employees, sometimes handle official residence duties, he explained, "Most public officials tend to manage the official residence similarly, but this is a bad practice that needs to be improved."

Yoo pointed out that there are many ambiguous aspects in distinguishing between official and private use when using business promotion cards. He questioned, "We should take this opportunity to reform the system regarding business promotion cards. Was buying a meal for high school friends with a business promotion card official business or not?"

When the host asked again, "Surely, meals for home consumption wouldn't have been bought with the business promotion card," Yoo responded, "When someone is invited to the house for a meal, that needs to be clarified further, but generally speaking, there are many ambiguous points in distinguishing official and private use when using business promotion cards," adding, "Local government heads who have official residences usually assign a public official to act as a housekeeper. This should be reformed."

Yoo said, "Lee Jae-myung became governor for the first time. When he first moved into the official residence, the existing public officials said, 'Hire someone to work at the official residence like this, whether as a public official or a special appointment.' This kind of practice caused problems," and speculated, "At first, they probably felt very unfair, thinking, 'Did I really do something wrong?' But as public opinion worsened, even if it was a customary practice, they must have decided that an apology was necessary."

He reiterated, "The practice until now was, 'Was I the only one?' so there is an unfair aspect. I hope this becomes an opportunity to fix and improve the system," emphasizing, "At times like this, public officials need to be alert and work on system reforms."

Regarding Kim Hye-kyung's apology the previous day, he said, "It was well done for now," but added, "It would have been better if it had come a little earlier."

Meanwhile, Kim Hye-kyung held a press conference at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, the previous afternoon and apologized for the protocol controversy. She bowed her head, saying, "I sincerely apologize to the public, especially to the whistleblower involved. As the spouse of a public official, I should have been cautious in all respects and clearly distinguished between official and private matters, but I was lacking in many ways."

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