Kim Eo-jun and First Lady Kim Jung-sook Defend 'Clothing Cost Controversy'... "Yoon's Special Activity Expenses More Suspicious"

"On what grounds do you disclose items purchased with personal funds?"
"It would be resolved by enacting a law to disclose all organizational special activity expenses."

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun.
Photo by TBS YouTube capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun defended First Lady Kim Jung-sook, wife of President Moon Jae-in, regarding the controversy over the non-disclosure of protocol expenses, saying, "On what grounds should something purchased with personal funds be disclosed?"

On the 29th, Kim said on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' "At the end of the Park Geun-hye administration, there was a huge problem with purchasing clothing and other items using special activity funds, so from the beginning of the Moon Jae-in administration, the principle was to have First Lady Kim purchase clothing and other items with her personal card."

He added, "Yesterday, an organization called the Livelihood Countermeasures Committee filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, claiming that First Lady Kim Jung-sook forced staff to purchase expensive clothing and accessories. Simultaneously, lawyer Shin Pyeong and various online communities and conservative YouTuber channels have been making multiple claims. Also, President-elect Yoon Seok-youl did not disclose 14.7 billion won of special activity funds used during his time as Prosecutor General. This fuss over special activity funds is suspicious in many ways," expressing doubt about the attacks against the First Lady.

Regarding People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Mi-kyung's statement that "If the First Lady's clothing expenses are state secrets, they should all be returned," Kim responded, "If you want to make such claims, you should at least present evidence that special activity funds were used. If the demand is to disclose special activity funds themselves, instead of media work, a law should be made to disclose special activity funds for all public organizations."

In a broadcast the previous day, Kim also rebutted the controversy over the non-disclosure of the First Lady's protocol expenses, calling it "a preview of Nongdureong Season 2," and said, "There are overflowing claims on YouTube and elsewhere that one of the brooches worn by the First Lady costs over 200 million won. This is fake news. That brooch is not an expensive item."

Earlier, the civic group Korea Taxpayers Federation filed two information disclosure requests with the Blue House in June and July 2018 regarding the details of special activity fund expenditures and the First Lady's protocol expenses. However, when the Blue House refused to disclose the information citing "national security" and other reasons, they filed an administrative lawsuit.

Subsequently, on the 10th of last month, the Seoul Administrative Court's Administrative Division 5 (Chief Judge Kim Sun-yeol) ruled in favor of the civic group, ordering the disclosure of all information except personal data, but the Blue House appealed the decision.

Meanwhile, it is known that the civic group Livelihood Countermeasures Committee recently filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against the First Lady on charges including embezzlement in the course of duty.

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