| “Keon-hee Sarang,” a fan club of first lay Kim Keon-hee / Screen captured from Facebook |
By Lee Hyo-jin
A fan club of first lady Kim Keon-hee has been facing growing pressure from politicians to be closed down. Such calls came from within the ruling People Power Party (PPP) after the fan club became mired in yet another controversy involving leaks of confidential information about President Yoon Suk-yeol's schedule.
“Keon-hee Sarang,” which translates into “love for Keon-hee,” is a Facebook page with over 24,000 followers where pictures and videos of Kim's daily life are shared, including some unauthorized photos.
The latest controversy began after the president's confidential schedule to visit a traditional market in the southeastern city of Daegu on Friday was leaked two days prior by the fan club, raising security concerns.
One user of the fan page posted, Tuesday, “Notice: President Yoon Suk-yeol will visit Seomun Market in Daegu at noon, Aug. 26. Please gather to the parking lot and participate in the event.”
The official schedule of the president is kept confidential until the end of the event and the press corps are required to comply with strict embargoes due to security reasons.
Attorney Seok Dong-hyun, who is known to be a 40-year-friend of Yoon, strongly condemned the fan club's activities and urged it to be closed down.
“It seems like a minus (for the presidential office) to have a fan club dedicated to the first lady, who has never been involved in politics, which has resulted in unnecessary gossip,” he was quoted as saying during an interview on MBC radio, Thursday.
Even though Keon-hee Sarang was created out of good intentions and affection for the first lady, it doesn't seem to be doing anything good for Yoon and Kim, he added.
Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, an influential PPP member, also criticized Kim's fan club.
“Such a fan club only makes things more difficult for the nation and distances President Yoon from the public,” he wrote on Facebook. “Never in my 26-year career in politics have I heard of a fan club for the first lady.”
This is not the first time Keon-hee Sarang has been mired in controversy over the leak of confidential information.
Earlier in May, photos of Kim's visit to the presidential office were released by fan club members. The photos were taken in an area that requires prior permission for filming, drawing speculation that they may have been taken by unauthorized personnel.