"Changed after folder greeting?"... Han Dong-hoon and Kim Kyung-yul refrain from remarks about 'Kim Geon-hee Yeo-sa'

No Direct Mention of Mrs. Kim After Presidential Office Conflict
Escalation Raises Mutual Destruction Fears... Focus on Livelihood and General Election

As the conflict between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, enters a reconciliation phase, changes are also being detected in the remarks of the ruling party leadership. They are refraining from direct mentions of the luxury bag acceptance allegations involving First Lady Kim Geon-hee, which ignited the conflict between the two sides, showing a stance that no longer provokes the Presidential Office. However, political circles believe that even if related remarks are restrained for now, the risk associated with First Lady Kim may persist until the general election.

On the 25th, Chairman Han met with reporters after an emergency discussion titled "Political Reform at the Eye Level of Fellow Citizens" held at the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido and said, "Have I ever talked about an apology from First Lady Kim Geon-hee?" This was in response to a question asking if his position differed from when he said an apology was necessary regarding the controversy surrounding the First Lady.

Regarding his restraint from expressing opinions about First Lady Kim after the conflict with the Presidential Office, when asked if this meant the party would not mention the issue, he said, "There is no change in my position," adding, "Please understand it as the same as what I have said before." This is a more softened expression compared to his earlier remarks that the luxury bag acceptance allegations were "a matter that the public should be concerned about" and "an issue to consider from the public's perspective."

Chairman Han also dismissed the question about whether the Presidential Office demanded the resignation of Emergency Response Committee member Kim Kyung-yul, saying, "I have never received such a demand." His response appears to indicate a desire to avoid escalation with President Yoon and to refrain from further comments on related matters.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Kyung-yul on Deutsche Motors Stock Manipulation: "There Is Nothing More to Reveal"

Emergency Response Committee member Kim Kyung-yul is also adopting a tone of restraint regarding remarks about First Lady Kim within the party.

At the same day’s Emergency Response Committee meeting, he stated about the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, "There is nothing more to reveal." He added, "The Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case has fully uncovered the flow of funds, which is the key aspect that should be clarified in an economic case."

Previously, regarding the acceptance of luxury bags by First Lady Kim, Kim emphasized, "Everyone knows that the 70% public support for the special investigation law on First Lady Kim Geon-hee is ultimately a reaction to the ‘Kim Geon-hee risk’ rather than the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation allegations themselves." He also argued, "The Presidential Office and the People Power Party must come up with a convincing alternative."

Kim said, "The commonality among the attack on Representative Lee Jae-myung, the money envelope incident involving former Representative Song Young-gil, and the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case is that there is nothing more to reveal," adding, "In the case of the attack on Representative Lee, the facts were revealed by the police, Busan National University Hospital, and Seoul National University Hospital, and the Song Young-gil money envelope incident has no new revelations based on recordings and multiple testimonies."

He continued, "The attack on Representative Lee resulted in the absurd ‘Political Terror Countermeasures Committee,’ and the Song Young-gil money envelope incident led to an unprecedented absurd event in history, including a one-person protest in front of the prosecution and the declaration of the founding of the Political Prosecution Dismantlement Party," while saying that the Deutsche Motors case is also "a continuous cause of political strife."

Political circles interpret that the conflict between the two is being reconciled ahead of the general election to avoid escalation. With less than 80 days remaining until the April general election, there is a strong sense of crisis within the party that if the conflict continues, it could lead to mutual destruction. It is expected that the Presidential Office will focus on livelihood issues, and the ruling party will concentrate on the general election, managing risks accordingly.

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