Yoon Sang-hyun: "'Kim Jeong-suk Special Prosecutor' is a Countermeasure Against Kim Geon-hee"... Opposition Party Reacts as "Political Conflict"

Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the People Power Party, announced his intention to propose a special investigation law related to Kim Jung-sook, the spouse of former President Moon Jae-in, while opposition parties raised their voices, calling it a political offensive.

On the 3rd, Yoon Sang-hyun said on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "Recently, through former President Moon Jae-in's memoir, it was said that the visit to the Taj Mahal in India was the first solo diplomatic trip by a presidential spouse, but it was not a solo diplomatic trip; it was a self-invitation," adding, "Also, at that time, Kim Jung-sook went as a special aide to Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jong-hwan, and originally, when Minister Do was supposed to go, a budget of 26 million won was set, but in the end, it cost 370 million won."

Yoon also said that the special investigation law on Kim Jung-sook has a 'countermeasure character' against the opposition's forced push for the 'Kim Gun-hee special investigation law.' He said, "Let's see what the problems are with these two special investigations," adding, "The Korea Taxpayers Union has raised suspicions that public taxes were used for Kim Jung-sook's clothing expenses, and the second trial is ongoing, but although they requested disclosure of related information, it has not been provided on the grounds that it is a presidential record matter. We need to look at these matters comprehensively."

Regarding the contents of the special investigation law, he said it would include five suspicions related to Kim Jung-sook: ▲ abuse of authority and breach of trust related to the India visit ▲ suspicion of using special activity funds for clothing expenses ▲ suspicion regarding swimming lessons for Blue House security guards ▲ suspicion of irregular hiring of administrative officer Yang by a regular designer ▲ suspicion of transactional monetary dealings between daughter Moon Da-hye and Yang.

Former President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook are paying their respects at the grave of the late President Roh Moo-hyun during the 15th anniversary memorial service held on the afternoon of the 23rd in Bongha Village, Gimhae, Gyeongnam. Photo by Yonhap News

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The opposition parties reacted, calling it an excessive political offensive. Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Democratic Party, said on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the same day, "It is 100% political strife," and pointed out, "First, it is a diversion from the Marine Corps special investigation, and second, it is a bulletproof special investigation for Kim Gun-hee."

Yoon Gun-young said, "At first, they made a fuss about the absence of Kim Jung-sook's invitation letter, but when the presidential archives said there was an invitation letter, they started nitpicking about the in-flight meal," adding, "I also think it was a great insult to Indian Prime Minister Modi. The Indian Prime Minister pleaded with the president at the summit and sent an invitation letter, making the visit possible, but only the People Power Party insists otherwise."

Regarding the 60 million won in in-flight meal costs, he said, "The basis for calculation was not accurate, and the People Power Party member Bae Hyun-jin, who raised the suspicion, did not submit materials," and argued, "If they want to claim that Kim Jung-sook's in-flight meal costs were high, it is appropriate to disclose and mutually compare the in-flight meal costs of President Yoon Seok-youl and Kim Gun-hee."

He continued, "I don't know for sure, but currently, the in-flight meal costs for President Yoon Seok-youl and Kim Gun-hee are probably much higher," adding, "Last year, President Yoon Seok-youl spent 57.8 billion won on overseas trips. If the in-flight meal was a problem at that time, why did the reporters who accompanied the trip remain silent? It's an absurd claim."

Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, also harshly criticized the 'Kim Jung-sook special investigation law' on his Facebook the day before, calling it "useless and stupid." Lee said, "Originally, special investigations are demanded by the opposition when the prosecution, which can be controlled by the president through the Minister of Justice and personnel authority, does not conduct investigations unfavorable to the ruling party," and pointed out, "If the ruling party wants to investigate Kim Jung-sook, they should just catch the charges at the party level and report them to the investigative agency."

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