Lee Jae-myung on 'Kim Hye-kyung's Corporate Card Allegation'... "It's excessive to act as if my wife used it"

"Employees' Procedural Issues"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, held a press conference at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 26th of last month. / Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, explained that the allegations of improper use of corporate cards by his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, were due to procedural issues with employees' use of corporate cards.

In an interview on the morning of the 22nd with KBS Radio's "Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs," Candidate Lee emphasized, "It is not that my wife used the corporate card, but that there were procedural problems with employees' use of the corporate card." However, he added, "Even so, it was wrong for my wife, a public official, to receive private assistance."

He continued, "It is excessive to say that my wife used the corporate card, but I apologize again because it was my negligence and poor management that caused the controversy," and stated, "I will be more thorough in the future to prevent even suspicions from arising."

Earlier, Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, raised related allegations against Candidate Lee during the first presidential candidate TV debate hosted by the National Election Commission held at the MBC studio in Sangam, Seoul, on the 21st, saying, "You just talked about democracy and economic development, but you are not addressing the allegations of embezzlement of corporate funds with the Gyeonggi Province governor's corporate card that have been appearing in the media day after day."

He added, "The hearts of public officials are all drifting away, and properly investigating this and holding people strictly accountable is democracy, and encouraging people's motivation to work is the foundation of economic development, isn't it?"

Meanwhile, Kim, who is accused of using corporate cards for private purposes during Candidate Lee's tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province, held a press conference on the 9th and apologized, saying, "Because of a long relationship with my executive secretary Bae, I sometimes received various help." However, she has not yet stated her position regarding whether she instructed errands such as ordering 10 servings of sushi delivery and organizing the refrigerator and wardrobe.

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