The Unprecedented Presidential Election Without a Spouse... Kim Hye-kyung and Kim Geon-hee Disappear Amid Various Allegations

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and his spouse Kim Hye-kyung (left), and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate, and his spouse Kim Geon-hee.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Three days before the 20th presidential election, the spouses of the ruling and opposition presidential candidates have still not appeared at the campaign sites.

According to Yonhap News on the 6th, the Democratic Party's campaign committee stated that Kim Hye-kyung, the spouse of candidate Lee Jae-myung, will not make any public appearances during the remaining period until the presidential election. The People Power Party's campaign headquarters also announced that Kim Geon-hee, the spouse of candidate Yoon Seok-youl, will have no public schedule.

Analysts suggest that the reason both spouses have refrained from public activities is due to concerns over the backlash from various allegations surrounding them.

Previously, Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung, stopped public activities after controversies arose regarding excessive protocol and misuse of corporate cards during Lee’s tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province. Kim disappeared from official events after bowing her head at the Democratic Party headquarters on the 9th of last month, before the official start of the election campaign.

Kim Geon-hee, wife of People Power Party candidate Yoon Seok-youl, has also refrained from full-scale activities amid allegations of stock manipulation involving Deutsche Motors and controversies over false credentials. Kim has officially appeared only twice during this election: at a public apology press conference regarding false credentials on December 26 last year and when participating in early voting on the 4th.

Meanwhile, on the first day of early voting on the 4th, both Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung and People Power Party candidate Yoon Seok-youl cast their votes. However, neither candidate was accompanied by their spouse.

Kim Geon-hee, spouse of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, is leaving the voting booth after casting her early vote at the early voting station set up at Seocho 1-dong Community Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 4th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Geon-hee appeared at the Seocho 1-dong Community Center near her home in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on that day. When asked by reporters about her thoughts, Kim briefly replied, "Thank you for your hard work." She left without answering questions about whether she would participate in the official election campaign.

Unlike Kim Geon-hee, who appeared even in a private capacity, Kim Hye-kyung did not show up at the early voting site.

This is the first time since the direct presidential election system was introduced in 1987 that leading presidential candidates from the ruling and opposition parties have not visited polling stations with their spouses. Furthermore, this election is likely to be recorded as the first presidential election in which candidates’ spouses did not participate in the campaign during the official election period.

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