3 days ago
Controversy-ridden former presidential worker was Kim Keon Hee's photographer: report
YouTuber who filmed videos from inside the presidential office had taken staged photos for former first lady
The woman who posted controversial YouTube videos about her daily life as a worker in the presidential office turned out to be an official who took photos for former first lady Kim Keon Hee, a local media outlet reported.
According to the CBS Nocut News, the person was a former Class 9 civil servant surnamed Shin, who had joined ex-President's Yoon Suk Yeol's staff during his presidential campaign in 2022. Shin had purportedly just graduated from college and was entrusted with administrative duties at the presidential office, in particular taking photos of Yoon's wife.
It was reported that Shin was responsible for the several staged photos of Kim that were subject of controversy. This included a photo of Yoon's wife holding a sick Cambodian boy in her arms, a photo of her appearing to give instructions to police officials that sparked criticism of her overstepping her role, and photos at the opening of the Suncheonman International Garden Expo 2023 that was focused on Kim and not the event itself.
The CBS report said several former officials of the presidential office had made internal complaints over the photos, which were supposedly overruled by Kim. The report also said that Shin had received several warnings for tardiness and had frequently argued with her superiors, but was able to squash out the complaints against herself on the former first lady's authority.
The videos recently posted by the former presidential office employee also sparked disputes here, for her filming the outer areas of the secure facility and showing it to the public. During the impeachment trials of now-expelled Yoon, the presidential office in January filed for criminal charges against local broadcasters for filming the official presidential residence from the outside.
It claimed that such act was in violation of the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act, specifically the Article 9 that bans filming in the area designated as a "Protection Zone." The same logic would prevent filming the outside areas of the presidential office.
Neither the presidential office or the former employee has issued a comment on the controversy, although she made the disputed videos inaccessible to the public.
