First lady Kim Keon Hee speaks with Laotian officials upon arriving at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos, Oct. 9. Yonhap

As controversy intensifies over first lady Kim Keon Hee's alleged influence on state affairs, the issue is escalating further with the planned establishment of an office for her and her staff within the presidential building, according to political pundits, Tuesday.

While the first lady's office is expected to be officially opened this month, after the conclusion of the ongoing National Assembly audit, officials told The Korea Times that Kim's office has already been carrying out its duties since earlier this year.

The delay in the formal launch was due to difficulties finding space within the already-crowded presidential building in central Seoul's Yongsan. Now that a suitable space has been secured, construction has begun on an office for first lady Kim and her staff.

The staff will be similar in size to previous administrations, with around five to 10 members, yet "the space is much smaller compared to the first lady's office, which was previously on the first floor of Cheong Wa Dae's main building," explained a presidential official. Cheong Wa Dae was the former presidential office in central Seoul.

Since early this year, the creation of this office for the first lady was driven primarily by concerns that, without a formal structure, Kim's activities — long the focus of intense media scrutiny — would lack transparency, thus making the establishment of an official office necessary.

The presidential office in central Seoul's Yongsan / Yonhap

The history of an exclusive office for the first lady dates back to 1972 during the presidency of Park Chung-hee. However, there remains no legal basis for the first lady's official public status, a long-standing source of controversy in Korean politics.

During his presidential campaign, President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged to abolish the first lady's office as part of his goal to streamline the presidential office and improve efficiency. Yoon's vow to abolish the office was also a move to quell the controversies surrounding his wife.

At the time, Kim was embroiled in scandals related to allegations of false academic and career claims, as well as involvement in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case. She had stated that she would focus solely on her role as a wife.

However, less than two years into Yoon's term, amid various controversies surrounding his wife, the president has reversed this decision and chosen to reinstate the office. This change in position arose from the presidential office's recognition of the need for more structured management of Kim, particularly in light of intensified political attacks regarding her alleged stock manipulation and accusations of receiving a luxury bag as a gift during Yoon's presidential transition period.

Too late for managing risks

Despite the administration's attempts to manage controversies surrounding the first lady, political pundits view that it is now too late to open the first lady's office.

"It's just too late now," said Shin Yul, a professor of political science at Myongji University. "Although the office aims to manage issues related to the first lady, what worse image could there be at this point? There were already too many issues, even without the office."

Shin added that the establishment of the office will not lead to any significant changes, either positive or negative. He emphasized that the presidential office has "zero ability in crisis risk management" and has completely failed to respond to public opinion.

"For instance, the presidential office should have proactively addressed and confronted head-on various issues surrounding the first lady, including allegations of stock price manipulation and the recent accusations of her interference in candidate nominations. However, the office has merely turned a blind eye to the public's concerns, managing these issues poorly," the professor said.

"In my opinion, the approval rating might fall below 20 percent if the presidential office continues to disregard public opinion. Trying to enlighten public opinion won't work at all."