June 12, 2024
SEOUL – First lady Kim Keon Hee has embraced the diplomatic spotlight during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Central Asian trip, amid political pressure to investigate her alleged antigraft rule violation.
As Yoon and Kim are halfway through his journey for state visits to three countries — Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan — Kim has expanded her role as the first lady in a series of engagements highlighting cultural exchanges.
According to Yoon’s spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung on Tuesday, first lady Kim met Ogulgerek Berdymukhamedova, wife of Turkmen People’s Council Chair and “national leader” Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, to discuss the artistic value of traditional Turkmen handwoven goods, such as carpets, embroideries and ornaments.
Donning a traditional Turkmen outfit during the meeting, Kim was invited to the social lunch hosted by Berdymukhamedov, father of Turkmenistan’s current president.
On the way to lunch, Berdymukhamedov expressed his willingness to gift a Turkmen shepherd dog, locally known as “alabay,” to Kim to mark their friendship. Turkmenistan has restricted the export of its alabay breed since 2022. According to the spokesperson, Berdymukhamedov said he was impressed by Yoon and Kim’s love of animals and wanted to cement a constructive bilateral relationship. Yoon and Kim have six dogs and five cats at their official residence in Seoul.
Kim also met President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, as well as his wife, who is rarely seen in public view and whose name has not been released, during a state banquet Monday. Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the National Security Office, said in a briefing that the appearance of the reclusive Turkmen first lady “indicates that (Turkmenistan) attaches significance to the visit.”
Kim on the domestic front, however, constantly faces political attacks, as the opposition-controlled 22nd National Assembly, which began its term in late May, is pressing ahead with plans to launch a special probe into Kim’s acceptance of a luxury Dior bag that was caught on hidden camera as an antigraft rule violation.
Left-wing politicians have continued to express frustration over the recent announcement by the state-run Anticorruption and Civil Rights Commission that it would not pursue the case, following six months of consideration.
On Monday, the commission’s 15-member decision-making committee found that the rule, which bans public servants and their spouses from receiving gifts worth 1 million won ($730) or more, does not stipulate that the spouse of a public servant is punishable. The secret camera showed Kim had received a bag worth some 3 million won from a pastor.
The body also dismissed complaints that a favor could have been offered to the pastor following Kim’s acceptance of the handbag or that the handbag should have been registered as government property in the presidential records.
In response, Rep. Jin Sung-joon, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s chief of policy, said Tuesday that the anti-corruption authorities’ decision “rather justifies a special counsel probe” into the first lady. The main opposition railroaded through a special probe bill concerning the first lady in the previous 21st National Assembly, only for it to be vetoed by the president.
On Wednesday, Reps. Kang Jun-hyeon and Lee Jung-mun condemned the anti-corruption body’s decision in front of its office in the de facto administrative capital of Sejong.
Rep. Cho Kuk, chief of the Rebuilding Korea Party and Yoon’s political archrival, said via social media that the anti-corruption body’s announcement “shows stark contrast” with the fact that his daughter Cho Min was found guilty of “winning a scholarship” under the same premise. Lawmaker Cho was also found guilty of violating the antigraft rule and is awaiting a Supreme Court verdict.