First lady visits predecessor from other side of political divide

Politics

Published: 13 Jun. 2022, 18:21 Updated: 13 Jun. 2022, 22:18

First lady visits predecessor from other side of political divide

First lady Kim Keon-hee, center, pays her respects at the grave of President Roh Moo-hyun in Bongha Village, Gimhae, in South Gyeongsang on Monday. She later visited Kwon Yang-sook, Roh's widow. [YONHAP]

First lady Kim Keon-hee paid a call on Kwon Yang-sook, widow of former President Roh Moo-hyun, at her home in Bongha Village in South Gyeongsang on Monday afternoon.

Kim traveled to the rural village in Gimhae by KTX express train and first paid respects at Roh's grave, becoming the first spouse of a conservative president to visit the grave of the liberal president.

President Yoon Suk-yeol has mentioned several times in the past his respect for the late Roh.

Roh served as president from 2003 to 2008. He committed suicide by leaping off a mountain behind his retirement home on May 23, 2009, 24 days after being questioned by prosecutors about a bribery scandal implicating his relatives and 15 months after leaving the Blue House.

Roh returned to Bongha Village, his childhood hometown and where he first met Kwon, after his retirement and made efforts at preserving the rural neighborhood's ecosystem before his death.

His cremated remains are buried under a broad, flat piece of rock, the "Neoreok Bawi," with a single inscription: "President Roh Moo-hyun."

Kim laid a chrysanthemum and had a moment of silence.

Kim then went to Kwon's residence, minutes away by foot. Kwon greeted Kim at the door, and the two headed inside for private one-on-one talks which lasted 90 minutes.

Some 150 people gathered at Roh's grave and applauded the first lady, welcoming her to the village.

Kim said to Kwon. "Everyone liked former President Roh, who emphasized national unity," according to the presidential office. The first lady added that if Roh were alive, he would have likely advised Yoon to "be a president of unity."

Kwon thanked Kim for coming so far and apologized for not being able to attend Yoon's inauguration because of her health. She then advised Kim, "As the first lady, I ask that you be faithful to your role by thinking and preparing a lot."

Kwon added, according to the presidential office, "The top position inevitably is one that will be judged and receive a whipping. You have to be very patient."

A spokesperson for the presidential office said, "Since last year, Kim has wanted to meet Kwon Yang-sook and have a long conversation if given the opportunity."

First lady Kim Keon-hee, left, poses for a commemorative photo with Kwon Yang-sook, wife of the late President Roh Moo-hyun, at her home in Bongha Village, Gimhae, in South Gyeongsang on Monday. [YONHAP]

Yoon, who visited Bongha Village during his presidential campaign, didn't attend a ceremony marking the 13th anniversary of Roh's death on May 23 but he sent flowers and delivered a letter to Kwon through his chief of staff. Leaders of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and officials of the Yoon administration attended the ceremony in Bongha Village in a major departure from the past.

Since he took office last month, Yoon has made several efforts to bridge the ideological divide between conservatives and liberals.

Kim's aide said she wanted to visit Kwon in person in lieu of attending Roh's 13th anniversary memorial ceremony.

Kwon had been invited to Yoon's inauguration ceremony on May 10, but wasn't able to attend because of poor health.

In a visit to Bongha Village last November during his campaign, Yoon wrote in a guestbook: "I miss the kind president of the common people."

Earlier Monday morning, Yoon told reporters at his Yongsan office that his wife "had been planning to visit since last year, but the schedule didn't work out, and now she's going."

He had been asked by a reporter whether he sent any message with his wife and whether the event signals Kim adopting a higher public profile.

However, Yoon said there was no need to read too much into the visit and said, "Is there a need to interpret everything in such a complicated way?"

Kim has generally stayed out of public view except for major events including Yoon's inauguration on May 10 and a Memorial Day ceremony earlier this month. Last December, she issued a public apology over allegations she falsified her career credentials on her resume when applying for jobs at universities and said after Yoon's election as president in March that she planned to support her husband quietly from the sidelines.

Last month, Kim greeted U.S. President Joe Biden ahead of a dinner banquet at the National Museum of Korea following his summit with Yoon. However, she didn't join them for dinner because her counterpart, U.S. first lady Jill Biden, didn't accompany her husband.

On Sunday, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee viewed the film "Broker," written and directed by Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda and starring Song Kang-ho, the first Korean to receive the Best Actor Award at the Cannes International Film Festival, at a theater in Seoul.

A presidential official said Monday that Kim's trip to Bongha Village is a part of her efforts to "quietly support" Yoon from the sidelines.

It is unclear if Kim will accompany Yoon to Spain for a NATO summit in Madrid at the end of this month.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]