Negative Offensive Shifted from 'X-Files' to 'Julie'... Fatigue over Unverified 'Nitpicking'

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife Kim Geon-hee attending the Prosecutor General Appointment Ceremony held at the Blue House Main Building on July 25, 2019. Photo by Yonhap News

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The so-called 'Julie' allegations concerning the past of Kim Gunhee, wife of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, have become a controversy. The claims include that Kim worked under the stage name 'Julie' at a past entertainment bar and lived with a married prosecutor before meeting former Prosecutor General Yoon.

The ruling party is intensifying its offensive against former Prosecutor General Yoon by raising the Julie allegations. They argue that thorough qualification verification of presidential candidates is inevitable. However, criticism is emerging that instead of necessary 'verification,' only 'nitpicking' is rampant. Previously, the Democratic Party of Korea caused a stir by announcing they had obtained the 'Yoon Seok-yeol X-file,' but they have yet to disclose what the allegations are and even backtracked by saying 'there is no X-file.'

Criticism is rising that baseless negative politics are only increasing citizens' fatigue. Experts say that the negative offensives occurring in the political sphere are anachronistic and do not significantly affect the presidential primary.

Earlier, Kim Gunhee strongly denied the allegations such as 'being a hostess' and 'living with a married man' in an interview with a media outlet. She said, "There are all sorts of stories like me being Julie, a hotel hostess, which are outrageous," and "This is just someone writing fiction."

She added, "I am originally a somewhat tomboyish and straightforward person, rather a workaholic," and "That's why I earned two master's degrees, a doctorate, lecture at a university, and run a business, so even if I wanted to be Julie, I don't have the time." She also said, "If I were Julie, someone who worked there or saw me would have come forward," and "As time passes, all the facts will be revealed."

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol visited the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 30th of last month. After greeting attending reporters, he responded to their questions. / Photo by Yonhap News

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As soon as the interview became known, the ruling party launched an offensive against former Prosecutor General Yoon by spreading rumors surrounding Kim.

Ruling party presidential candidate and former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae said on YTN Radio's 'Hwang Bo-seon's Morning Start' on the 30th of last month, when asked, "Do you think the allegations related to the figure named Julie will be problematic?" she replied, "Actually, it's difficult for me to say everything on the broadcast," but added, "First of all, a presidential candidate should be clean not only personally but also in terms of family, relatives, friends, and acquaintances."

Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae posted on Facebook the same day, "Mentioning Julie by Yoon's wife is the worst possible response," and disparaged, "People will wander all over the country looking for Julie."

Negative evaluations of Kim's explanation also came from the opposition. On the 1st, People Power Party lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo said in an interview with TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' "It's not something worth responding to, but it was objectified and generalized too early, so what benefit would it bring to former Prosecutor General Yoon?" and called it "a fatal mistake and a wrong judgment."

Senior member of the same party, Jung Mi-kyung, expressed a similar opinion to Hong. Both ruling and opposition parties showed reactions implying that former Prosecutor General Yoon's side's response to the rumors was immature and premature.

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife Kim Geon-hee attending the Prosecutor General appointment ceremony in July 2019. Kim is adjusting Yoon's clothing. /Photo by Yonhap News

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However, some view this political controversy as a wasteful debate. There is no basis to argue over the rumors about Kim. Even if the truth of the rumors is verified, the criticism is that the focus is on trivial issues detached from the qualification verification of the presidential candidate.

Office worker Kim (33) said, "The news was full of only 'Julie' stories, so I searched several times just to find out what it was about," and pointed out, "After checking, it turned out to be nothing more than baseless gossip, yet the political sphere was fiercely debating it."

He added, "They poured out criticisms like calling former Prosecutor General Yoon's presidential bid amateurish and lacking vision, but there was no verification of these, and only 'Julie' remained," and "Instead of debating the right or wrong of Kim Gunhee's explanation, I wish proper verification would be done."

Earlier, the political sphere was shaken once when the ruling party claimed to have obtained the 'Yoon Seok-yeol X-file.' A conservative political commentator who triggered this controversy by saying 'we have obtained the X-file' even hinted at the possibility of former Prosecutor General Yoon's downfall. Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party, who said he was "carefully preparing the files" related to former Prosecutor General Yoon, suddenly stated, "There is no X-file."

Ultimately, what this document actually is and what allegations it contains have not been revealed. If it is proven that this document does not exist, it will be difficult to avoid criticism that the wasteful debate only increased public confusion.

Experts point out that negative offensives in the political sphere are anachronistic and unlikely to gain public support. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "Negative and black propaganda are anachronistic and should be eradicated from the political sphere," and "I think the X-file story should no longer come up in politics."

He added, "It was proven that negative offensives are ineffective since the election of People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok," and "Although negative offensives were not very effective in the past, recently the public reacts even less to such things. Regardless of the truth, I believe negative politics will not have a significant impact on the presidential primary."

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