Tak Hyun-min "You Shouldn't Open Someone Else's Closet" vs Jeon Yeo-ok "The First Lady's Closet Should Be Open"

Tak Hyun-min, First Lady Kim Jung-sook on 'Expensive Brooch' Controversy: "Consideration for the Country of India"
Jeon Yeo-ok: "Why Did 'Kim Jung-sook's Clothing Expenses' Become Presidential Records?"

First Lady Kim Jung-sook, wife of President Moon Jae-in, is speaking at a meeting with Egyptian Korean culture promotion experts held at a hotel in Cairo, Egypt, last January. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Tak Hyunmin, Protocol Secretary at the Blue House, pointed out regarding the controversy over the protocol expenses of Kim Jung-sook, wife of President Moon Jae-in, saying, "You should not open someone else's wardrobe without permission." On the 29th, Jeon Yeo-ok, former Saenuri Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) lawmaker, rebutted, saying, "It is not someone else's wardrobe but the people's wardrobe for national events."

Former lawmaker Jeon posted on Facebook that day, saying, "It is not just a private 'privacy wardrobe' of a woman. Naturally, the First Lady's wardrobe should always be open."

He claimed, "The Blue House, which had kept silent until now, has for the first time expressed its position due to the unusual public sentiment, stating, 'Kim Jung-sook's clothes and accessories were purchased with personal funds. However, for foreign visits or official events, some budget was partially supported at a minimum level according to strict internal procedures,' but this means they have meticulously excluded the taxes I paid."

He continued, "In other words, 'nothing can be disclosed.' If it was paid with a personal card, it would be easy to disclose," adding, "If it were me, I would disclose it sharply."

Additionally, former lawmaker Jeon concluded his post by saying, "Why did 'Kim Jung-sook's clothing expenses' become presidential records? If it is just someone else's wardrobe, why is it only disclosed 15 years later? They really treat the people like dogs and pigs."

Tak Hyun-min, Protocol Secretary at the Blue House. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier, Secretary Tak clarified that the allegation that Mrs. Kim wore an expensive brooch worth about 200 million won at a past event was not true.

Through Facebook that day, Secretary Tak stated, "The First Lady's brooch is neither a luxury brand nor was it intended to look like one," and added, "The First Lady wore that brooch with a more 'tremendous' intention, which was consideration for the country called 'India.'"

He said, "India is a country where the Prime Minister holds a press conference on 'World Tiger Day,' showing great interest in 'tigers,'" and added, "The First Lady chose and wore the brooch that best suited the occasion from among those she had owned previously."

Furthermore, Secretary Tak said, "The important point in this absurd brooch story is that the First Lady wore her own brooch that she had owned beforehand and that attendees said the brooch suited the occasion well."

Finally, he concluded by saying, "You should not open someone else's wardrobe without permission. This is common sense and morality," and added, "Inside the First Lady's wardrobe, there are only the First Lady's clothes."

Meanwhile, the Blue House stated that all clothing expenses of Mrs. Kim were borne personally. At a briefing that afternoon, Deputy Spokesperson Shin Hye-hyun said regarding the controversy over Mrs. Kim's clothing expenses, "During the term, no special activity funds or national budget were allocated or used for clothing purchases as the president's spouse, and all expenses were borne personally."

She continued, "For official activities such as inter-state summits, state visits abroad, and foreign guest invitation events, protocol expenses for diplomatic activities as the head of state and First Lady are partially supported at a minimum necessary level according to strict internal procedures as part of event ancillary costs."

Deputy Spokesperson Shin also added, "We regret the indiscriminate and factually incorrect claims made under the pretext that the Presidential Secretariat's special activity funds are difficult to disclose specifically due to reasons such as defense, diplomacy, and security."

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