Spouses of candidates join campaign efforts
Kim Hye-kyung, Seol Nan-young help shape public images for their husbands
The spouses of the two leading presidential candidates have been more visible on the campaign trail in recent weeks compared to previous election cycles.
At the same time, they have avoided moves that could overshadow the candidates themselves, despite a political atmosphere fueling their rivalry.
On Wednesday, Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of liberal Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung, visited the port of Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, where the hull of the Sewol ferry remains docked. Kim paid respect to the victims of the ferry's sinking in 2014, which claimed the lives of 304 people on board, mostly high school students on a field trip.
Kim, however, did not schedule a meeting with the bereaved families of the ferry disaster.
She volunteered to serve food at a senior welfare center in the liberal stronghold of Gwangju the previous day. Then, she met with 10 teens who were orphaned as children and were preparing to graduate from foster care in the area.
She has also been attending various religious ceremonies in an apparent bid to seek support for her husband from religious voters.
Seol Nan-young, wife of conservative People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo, has taken a relatively active role in the former labor minister's campaign as well.
Seol has taken similar steps as Kim Hye-kyung by visiting a senior welfare center and meeting with religious groups, but she has also been more outspoken on the campaign trail than her counterpart.
While Kim Hye-kyung has avoided interviews during Lee's latest campaign — his third attempt at the presidency — Seol has given interviews to local broadcasters and right-wing YouTube channel Kosungkooktv.
In an interview with Channel A early this week, Seol said it would have been "completely unacceptable" if her husband Kim Moon-soo had used the Gyeonggi provincial government's credit card for personal expenses when he was Gyeonggi Province governor from 2006 to 2014. 'The internal policies on the usage of the government credit card are very strict and we used it in accordance with those rules,' she explained.
Seol's remarks were an apparent jab at Kim Hye-kyung, who was fined 1.5 million won ($1,080) in an appellate court ruling on Monday for purchasing personal meals using a government card. Lee Jae-myung also served as Gyeonggi Province governor from 2018 to 2021. The Suwon High Court said that a dinner hosted by Kim Hye-kyung using the government card in August 2021 benefited Lee's political career.
Political commentators have recently taken notice of the two potential first ladies' rising profiles on the campaign trail.
Rep. Kim Yong-tae, the People Power Party's interim chair, on Tuesday proposed a televised debate between the candidates' spouses ahead of the start of early in-person voting next week. Lee, however, turned down the proposal, with the Democratic Party calling Rep. Kim's proposal 'absurd and bizarre.'
No televised debate between the spouses of presidential candidates has been held in South Korean history.
Rep. Kim, meanwhile, apologized for "past acts" of Kim Keon Hee, the former first lady and wife of impeached and removed President Yoon Suk Yeol, while alluding to a vetting process for first lady-to-bes, in a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.
"The People Power Party respectfully apologizes to the public for our failure to recognize the concerns of the people over former first lady Kim Keon Hee's past acts," Rep. Kim said.
The Democratic Party has accused Kim Keon Hee of alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and interference in the People Power Party's election nominations through a power broker.
Rep. Kim said he plans to launch a "clear vetting process for the first lady role based on the people's right to know." Efforts will be made to bolster the legal responsibility of the role, aligned with preparation for a bill that would put the position of the first lady on par with that of a public servant.
"We plan to make the budget allocated for activities of first ladies and its execution process transparent, so they would bear the same legal responsibility as any other public servant if they carry out abuses of power or illegal acts," he explained.
Kim Hye-kyung, 59, has a bachelor's degree in piano from Sookmyung Women's University and a master's in music therapy from Myongji University's Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Therapy. She and Lee married in 1991 after meeting on a blind date. They have two sons.
Seol, 71, has a bachelor's degree in Korean language and literature from Sacred Heart Women's University, which was merged with the Catholic University of Korea in 1995. She was a labor activist and union leader when she worked at Sejin Electronics in the late 1970s. Seol and Kim Moon-soo met as labor activists and later married in 1981. They have one daughter.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
4 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Floor leaders of DP, PPP step down amid changes in party leadership
The floor leaders of the country's two major parties officially stepped down Thursday as the parties gear up for a leadership change. The press conferences for ruling Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Park Chan-dae and People Power Party Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, which were held within hours of each other, came a week after President Lee Jae-myung took office after winning the early election triggered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. As Park wrapped up his year-long term as floor leader, he revealed plans to run for the leader of the ruling party and called his experience 'a glorious journey' with the South Korean people. The three-term lawmaker and a close aide of Lee had assumed the role of floor leader in May 2024. He also assumed the role of acting chair after Lee stepped down as party leader in April to run for president. 'The Democratic Party of Korea has become a responsible ruling party which has President Lee Jae-myung on our side,' Park said during a press conference held at the National Assembly, a day before his term as floor leader was to expire. The Democratic Party currently holds the majority of 171 of the total 300 seats in the Assembly. 'We must walk towards completing the national task of ending the insurrection, recovering the livelihoods of the people, economic recovery and unity of the people, together with our great people who succeeded in protecting South Korea once again,' he added. Park lauded the three contentious special counsel investigation bills railroaded by the Democratic Party, passed in the Assembly and endorsed by Lee, to probe several allegations against Yoon, his wife Kim Keon Hee and the previous administration. All three bills were reintroduced after being vetoed by Yoon when he was president. 'Weren't the special counsel investigation bills continuously pursued by the Democratic Party the biggest threat to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration?' Park said. 'President Lee Jae-myung has finally promulgated the three special counsel investigations, which are the insurrection probe, Kim Keon Hee probe and the investigation into the death of a Marine — it's an outcome of a long struggle that has continued from last year.' The Democratic Party is scheduled to elect its new floor leader Friday. Meanwhile, Kweon, who announced his resignation earlier in June following former People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo's election loss, denounced Yoon's failed Dec. 3 martial law bid and expressed hopes that his party would 'move beyond' the current internal rift. 'President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid was illegal and a terribly wrong political decision,' Kweon said at the Assembly. 'I still cannot understand why (Yoon) declared martial law.' While Kweon was viewed as a supporter of Yoon within the party, Kweon declined to be labeled as such. 'I played a noticeable part in the launch of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and the labels of 'pro-Yoon' and an 'aide of Yoon' have always followed me — but I have never flattered the president nor received any special treatment.' Kweon wrapped up the conference by saying that he hopes the 'People Power Party would now move beyond the swamp of division and each and every one of its lawmakers would become elites who would (work for) the party.' Kweon was elected as floor leader in December. This marked the second time Kweon served as the People Power Party's floor leader. Previously, he served from April to September 2022.
Korea Herald
4 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Special counsel probes of Yoon couple 'people's demand': presidential office
The presidential office said Thursday that the special counsel investigations into former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee were launched in response to the people's demand. Kang Yu-jung, Lee's spokesperson, told a press briefing that "getting to the bottom of insurrection is the demand of the people, as the results of the presidential election show." The opposition People Power Party said that the special counsel investigations were of an "unprecedented size costing billions of won," with a total of 577 prosecutors and investigators. "The sheer size of the investigations is tantamount to a single district attorney's office," the People Power Party said in a statement Wednesday, saying the Democratic Party of Korea has "created its own district attorney's office." Tuesday's Cabinet meeting approved the ruling Democratic Party-led bills for opening special counsel investigations into the former first couple, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik asking President Lee Jae-myung to appoint special counsels to lead the investigations. The special counsels would look into allegations that Yoon committed either insurrection or treason by trying to impose martial law on Dec. 3. They would also scrutinize allegations that Yoon's wife Kim, meddled in the People Power Party's nomination process for a National Assembly seat in the 2022 by-election.
Korea Herald
14 hours ago
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] No retaliation in probes
Special counsels should be neutral figures to avoid suspicions of revenge, oppression Three bills mandating special counsel probes into allegations involving the administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol were enacted Tuesday following approval at a Cabinet meeting. One of the bills requires special counsels to investigate insurrection and treason charges related to Yoon's failed declaration of martial law. The second bill calls for a probe into allegations against Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee. She allegedly accepted luxury goods as bribes, manipulated stock prices and intervened illegally in the People Power Party's nomination of candidates for the National Assembly. The third bill deals with the death of a Marine who drowned while searching for missing flood victims and the presidential office's alleged pressure on officials investigating his death. The bills mark the first legislation for President Lee Jae-myung since taking office last week. Their passage through the Assembly was led by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Simultaneous special counsels investigating three cases against key figures from the previous administration and possibly lawmakers from the People Power Party are unprecedented. In light of the seriousness of the allegations, the truth needs to be uncovered. But the investigations should be impartial and transparent. If not, they are likely to be caught up in suspicions of political retaliation. Investigations of the allegations in question are either completed or ongoing. They were conducted separately by the prosecution, the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. The government and the ruling party say the legislation was intended to increase the efficiency of the investigations by integrating the separate probes and revealing the overall truth in all three cases, but there is concern about the scale of the investigation and how special counsels are appointed. As many as 120 prosecutors will be assigned to three special counsel teams. This figure is more than half of the number of prosecutors at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the nation's largest. Hundreds of investigation officers and assistants will also join. Allocating so many resources to the special counsel probes could set back investigations into other cases affecting the lives of ordinary people. Among other provisions, the bills give only the Democratic Party and the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, which almost always stands by the now-ruling party, the exclusive right to recommend special counsels in the three cases. It is hard to dispel worries about the political neutrality of their investigations. The appointment of special counsels is a supplementary system designed to keep those in power from pushing biased investigations. It should be used in exceptional circumstances and only as necessary. But the Democratic Party unilaterally passed bills that expand the scope of special counsel probes and grant nominating authority exclusively to certain parties. It is true that suspicions about the previous administration still need to be addressed, and some investigations have been criticized as insufficient. But in a situation where Lee and the Democratic Party are now in power, it is questionable whether special counsels are even necessary to investigate the previous administration instead of using the existing judicial system. It is difficult to erase suspicions of political motivations. The opposition People Power Party has condemned the bills, arguing that the special counsels' "triple investigations" are political revenge. If the investigations were used as a lever of power for political suppression, as the People Power Party worries, it would be a grave threat to democracy. The special counsel investigations should not split the nation into "us versus them," either. People experienced deep division during the Moon Jae-in administration due to its drive to eliminate "the evils of the past," which led to claims of a political vendetta. Lee vowed to base his government on "integration." If so, the special counsel probes should serve as a just means of revealing the truth and ultimately restoring the rule of law, not a means for retaliation and oppression. That begins with appointing special counsels who are politically unbiased and widely respected.
