Latest news with #Kosungkooktv
Korea Herald
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
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@
Korea Herald
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Spouses of candidates jump into campaigns
Kim Hye-kyung, Seol Nan-young help shape public images for their husbands The spouses of two leading presidential candidates have been more visible on the campaign trail in recent weeks compared to the spouses of previous candidates. 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 spouse of liberal Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung, visited the port in 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, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul, 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 the conservative People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo, has taken a relatively active role in the former labor minister's campaign. Seol has taken similar steps as Kim Hye-kyung by visiting a senior welfare center and meeting with religious groups, but she has been more outspoken on the campaign trail compared to Kim. While Kim Hye-kyung has avoided interviews during Lee's latest campaign, Seol has given interviews to local broadcasters and the 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 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 ($1,070) in an appellate court ruling on Monday for purchasing personal groceries and meals using a government card. Lee Jae-myung also served as Gyeonggi 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, proposed on Tuesday 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. 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 '70s. Seol and Kim Moon-soo both met as labor activists in the late '70s and married in 1981. They have one daughter. mkjung@
