Tak Hyun-min Criticizes "'Yoon's Cancellation of Condolence Visit' Controversy as Lack of Preparation and Poor Coordination"

Former Secretary Tak "Ate Yukgaejang and Attended the Funeral"
Presidential Office "Coordinating with the British Royal Family"

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are moving to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on the 19th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bora Lee] Former Blue House Protocol Secretary Tak Hyun-min criticized the controversy over the cancellation of President Yoon Seok-yeol and First Lady's condolence visit to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on the 19th, calling it "the South Korean government's lack of preparation and poor coordination."

On the 20th, Tak appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" and said, "Even if the presidential office talks about various situations, it doesn't sound reasonable," adding, "They should have gone early and prepared."

He continued, "The UK provides very detailed explanations in advance, including hourly operation plans, and does not try to make changes afterward. It would have been fine to either depart earlier or arrive at the scheduled condolence time," he pointed out.

He also said, "There is no excuse for not meeting the time while traveling by a dedicated plane that can adjust departure times as needed," explaining, "Condolence is a kind of package. It includes the act of visiting the funeral hall, eating Yukgaejang, and if very close, attending the funeral procession. But President Yoon ate Yukgaejang and then attended the funeral procession."

Meanwhile, Tak criticized Chief of Public Relations Kim Eun-hye's briefing that "the British royal family kindly adjusted the time for writing the condolence book," calling it "a very poor statement," and added, "Writing the condolence book is ultimately writing the guestbook, isn't it?"

Amid this, the presidential office rebutted on the 20th (Korean time) regarding the ongoing controversy over President Yoon's "condolence cancellation," stating, "The British royal family requested to postpone it to the next day."

Deputy Spokesperson Lee Jae-myung of the presidential office said at a press briefing at the New York local press center, "From the royal family's perspective, it would have been a disaster if everyone came early. They had to allocate time among many countries," explaining this.

Lee added, "From the beginning, we had coordinated with the British royal family to arrive after 3 p.m. London local time to pay tribute at the Korean War veterans memorial and visit the Queen," emphasizing, "All these schedules were coordinated with the British royal family."

He also added, "Other top officials who wrote condolence books after the funeral included the President of the European Commission, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the King of Monaco, the President of Austria, the Prime Minister of Egypt, and the President of Lithuania. None of them would have been neglected by the British royal family."

Earlier, President Yoon attended the funeral mass held at Westminster Abbey on the morning of the 19th (local time) and then wrote in the condolence book. The presidential office explained that the writing of the condolence book was initially planned for the day of President Yoon's arrival but was postponed by a day due to the British royal family's time adjustment considering local traffic conditions.

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