With former Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl having won the presidential nominations of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and main opposition People Power Party (PPP), respectively, the campaigns by their potential first ladies ― their wives ― are attracting public attention as well.
Kim Hye-gyeong, 55, the wife of Lee, and Kim Kun-hee, 49, the wife of Yoon, are both preparing to start their public appearances soon in a bid to support their husbands, but the two could also pose risks to their husbands' election chances due to past and ongoing controversies surrounding them.
| Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, sits on a bench with his wife, Kim Hye-gyeong, during their visit to Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, Aug. 7. Captured from Lee Jae-myung's Facebook account |
Kim Hye-gyeong was embroiled in a huge controversy in 2018 over suspicions that she owned the Twitter account @08_hkkim, which spread damaging statements for several years about her husband's rivals within the party, including President Moon Jae-in and Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol.
After Lee lost to President Moon in the DPK's presidential primary in 2017, he ran for the Gyeonggi Province governorship in competition with Jeon.
Some 40,000 questionable tweets have been uploaded on that Twitter account since 2013, and damaging statements also targeted former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun.
Controversy further heated up after police announced in November 2018 that Kim Hye-gyeong owned the Twitter account in question, just before transferring the case to the prosecution. But prosecutors freed her without charges, citing a lack of evidence.
Despite the dismissed charges, some supporters of President Moon and former President Roh still resent her, posting comments critical of her in online communities, which could deal a blow to Lee's efforts to unite liberal voters around him.
Lee called the Twitter fiasco a “witch-hunt” against his wife during his appearance on a YouTube channel in July.
“My wife has continually been a target of attack. She has been hurt a lot. I feel so sorry for that,” Lee said, adding that it was regrettable that such an attack did not come from the opposition, but from his own party.
| Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate for the main opposition People Power Party, sits with his wife Kim Kun-hee at Cheong Wa Dae in this July 25, 2019 photo, when he was appointed as prosecutor general by President Moon Jae-in. Yonhap |
The situation is far worse for Yoon and his wife due to various suspicions facing her and her family.
Kim Kun-hee is alleged to have been involved in a stock manipulation case with Deutsch Motors. As the prosecution's investigation into the case is currently underway, with Deutsch Motors Chairman Kwon Oh-soo being questioned earlier this month, she is also expected to be summoned by prosecutors soon.
Because of this, the Yoon camp has yet to decide on when Kim Kun-hee will be able to start her public appearances and join the election campaign, according to sources.
“Testimony of suspected accomplices will be crucial. Whether Kim had colluded with them or she was innocent, her summoning by the prosecution will be inevitable. I think the timing is imminent,” lawyer Koo Ja-ryong said during a recent radio appearance.
Other allegations include academic plagiarism and a series of fraud cases involving her mother.
On Nov. 3, Kookmin University submitted its plans to the Ministry of Education to form a panel to verify four papers written by Kim, including her doctoral dissertation, to investigate the plagiarism allegations facing her.
Kim's mother is currently in jail after being sentenced to three years in prison in July for collaborating with three business partners to establish a medical foundation and open a geriatric hospital in 2013 despite having no medical qualifications.