Kim Ki-hyun Faces Criticism Over 'Private Use of Official Vehicle' During U.S. Visit, Says "I Will Accept Reprimand"

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 18th, Kim Gi-hyeon, leader of the People Power Party, responded to criticism that he used an official vehicle for personal purposes during his trip to the United States, saying, "If it was inappropriate to have my daughter ride in that car for five minutes, I will accept the criticism sternly."

Kim explained to reporters at the National Assembly that afternoon, "There was a late-night meeting with the Korean community in New York that day, and since my daughter is also part of the New York Korean community, she attended the event."

He continued, "During the meeting, I couldn't eat properly, the driver couldn't eat, and my daughter couldn't eat either, so we went to my daughter's house, which is five minutes away by car, to have a meal. The driver ate at a nearby restaurant. After finishing the official schedule late at night, we went to my daughter's house, had a meal, and then returned to the accommodation," he explained.

Earlier, on the 13th (local time) during his visit to the U.S., Kim presided over a policy meeting for overseas Koreans at a Korean volunteer center in New York and then traveled with his daughter by official vehicle to her home, about five minutes away from the event venue.

At that time, it was reported that the vehicle Kim and his daughter used was supported by the diplomatic authorities, leading to criticism that the official vehicle was used for personal purposes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' regulation, "Guidelines for Cooperation with Overseas Diplomatic Missions during Overseas Official Trips of National Assembly Members," stipulates that vehicle support is only available for official schedules.

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