Yoon's Side: The Expression "40-Year Close Friend" with Jeong Ho-young Is Incorrectly Reported

"Fact Mentioning of Falsehoods Includes Morality Beyond Legal Aspects"

Baek Hyun-jin, spokesperson for the elected representative, is giving a daily briefing on the morning of the 17th at the joint press conference room of the Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyemin and Lee Gimin] On the 19th, the team of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol stated that the claim that President-elect Yoon and Health and Welfare Minister nominee Jeong Ho-young have a "40-year friendship" is incorrect.

On the morning of the same day, Baek Hyunjin, the spokesperson for the President-elect, held a briefing at the transition office in Tongui-dong, Seoul, responding to the criticism, "Is the reason for waiting until the hearing despite various suspicions because they are 40-year-old friends?"

Spokesperson Baek said, "President-elect Yoon and nominee Jeong spent their school days in Seoul and Daegu respectively and have worked in their respective professional fields as a prosecutor and a doctor," adding, "I understand that nominee Jeong himself has told the media that the term 'close friend' is quite embarrassing."

He continued, "The hearing is a legally guaranteed occasion where ruling and opposition lawmakers can verify various allegations with materials and evidence," and said, "The President-elect's statement that he wants to see if there are no facts of wrongdoing means he is observing whether there are any issues that do not meet the public's standards, not only in legal responsibility but also in morality."

Regarding criticism that the personnel screening process during the transition period was negligent concerning the children's college admissions and military service, he said, "I will not claim that the personnel screening system was perfect or that the verification process was flawless," but emphasized, "We tried to accurately verify talents that meet the public's standards, and although various questions were raised, no suspicions have been confirmed."

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