Kukim: "Moon's Explanation of Kim Jeong-suk's India Visit Is Petty and Embarrassing... Apology Comes First"

Former President Moon Jae-in strongly refuted allegations related to his wife Kim Jung-sook's visit to India, prompting the People Power Party to launch a fierce attack, calling it "truly pathetic."

Reporter Dongju Yoon doso7@

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Senior Spokesperson Kwak Kyu-taek pointed out on the 5th, "To the public, the lengthy posts on social media by the former president can only appear as excuses lacking objectivity," adding, "It is frustrating. If the sequence of events and facts are incorrect, wouldn't it be better to boldly seek an objective method such as audits or investigations to strictly clarify the truth?"

Spokesperson Kwak also claimed, "When our government first reported that Kim Jung-sook was considering visiting India together with the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, only then did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explain that the Indian government sent an invitation letter to Mrs. Kim under the Prime Minister's name," arguing, "This means that the official invitation was not originally for Mrs. Kim." He added, "Do not try to mislead by calling it 'black propaganda.' This is based on revealed facts."

Floor Spokesperson Park Jun-tae also criticized on the same day, "Even if you try to cover the sky with your palm, you cannot hide the truth about the Taj Mahal." He said, "(Former President Moon) emphasized that the large meal expenses were executed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and that the in-flight meals were provided by the airline, stressing that it was not a gourmet trip," and added, "It was Mrs. Kim who went on the trip abroad, but the explanation that all responsibility and obligations related to the trip lie with the ministries and the airline is a far-fetched excuse. It is petty and embarrassing."

He further emphasized, "What should come first in the explanation is an apology such as 'We are sorry for causing concern' to the citizens curious about how such large meal expenses were incurred," stressing, "That is the duty of a former president to the wounded people."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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Earlier, former President Moon said, "Regarding the recent controversy, if you understand state affairs, it is a petty quarrel that should not have happened, so I thought it would die down, but seeing the controversy escalate, I could not remain silent and will clarify some basic facts," explaining that Mrs. Kim's visit, compared to a leisure trip, was "something she was pushed to do." He lamented toward the ruling party, which raised issues about the visit process and costs, "How would the Indian side, who sincerely worked for the development of bilateral relations, feel?"

In this regard, Kim Jung-sook plans to sue ruling party officials who raised the 'self-invitation' allegations. Yoon Gun-young, a pro-Moon Jae-in Democratic Party lawmaker, stated on the 4th, "Mrs. Kim has decided to take legal action against those involved. No matter how much the spouse of a former president holds a public position, tolerating such fake news does not help our society and political development, and this is a decision made with heavy consideration."

Lawmaker Yoon said, "We plan to soon submit a complaint against those who maliciously attack the normal diplomatic activities of the president's spouse without basis, and we request that investigative agencies conduct a strict investigation according to law and principles."

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