Yoon expresses 'regret' about handbag scandal, but no apology

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Yoon expresses 'regret' about handbag scandal, but no apology

  • 기자 사진
  • SARAH KIM
President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, speaks during an interview with public broadcaster KBS at the Yongsan presidential office in Seoul on Sunday. The interview was aired on Wednesday evening, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, speaks during an interview with public broadcaster KBS at the Yongsan presidential office in Seoul on Sunday. The interview was aired on Wednesday evening, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Yoon Suk Yeol said that it is "regrettable" that first lady Kim Keon Hee received a luxury handbag from a pastor in 2022, but stopped short of issuing an apology in a media interview Wednesday.  
 
Yoon has been facing mounting pressure to reveal his stance on the allegations against his wife, and his first public response on the matter was met with mixed responses Thursday, with liberal lawmakers criticizing the remarks as being insufficient.  
 

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"If there is a problem, it was that she wasn't able to cut him off cold-heartedly, which is regrettable," Yoon said in a 100-minute New Year's interview with public broadcaster KBS, which was prerecorded on Sunday and aired at 10 p.m. Wednesday.
 
Kim allegedly received a Christian Dior handbag valued at around 3 million won ($2,240) as a gift from a Korean American pastor, Choi Jae-young, in September 2022. The allegations were first reported on Nov. 29 by a liberal YouTube news channel, Voice of Seoul.
 
The pastor secretly filmed the exchange using a hidden camera, and the YouTube channel that released the footage reportedly provided the bag. Yoon was inaugurated as president in May 2022, and Kim's receiving of the bag has led to allegations that she may have violated antigraft laws.    
 
"It is very difficult for the president or the president's wife to treat anyone harshly," Yoon said, describing the situation as a premeditated hidden camera operation and a "political maneuver" timed to come ahead of the April 10 general elections.  
 
Yoon noted that the pastor had deliberately approached his wife, allegedly flaunting a relationship with her late father, who had passed away when she was in middle school.  
 
The meeting occurred before the couple had moved into their official presidential residence in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, while they were still based in their private apartment in Seocho District, southern Seoul. Yoon said Kim had an office in the apartment's basement, and the security had been more lax then.  
 
When asked if he agreed with the assessment by some members of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) that Kim was a victim of a political ploy, Yoon agreed, noting that the pastor brought a hidden camera disguised as a watch to record the meeting secretly and the news was reported ahead of the April 2024 general elections.  
 
"Exposing it a year later, before the elections, in itself should be seen as a political maneuver," Yoon said, but he noted that it is "more important to draw a clearer line and take action to prevent such incidents from happening in the future."
 
The interview, titled "KBS Special Interview: Inside the Presidential Office," was hosted by KBS news anchor Park Jang-beom and held at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul.
 
It was an opportunity to discuss a range of domestic state affairs and diplomatic achievements as Yoon enters his third year in office.  
 
Yoon said his office is looking into creating an office in charge of the first lady's affairs, which was abolished after he came into office. He also said appointing a special investigator for corruption probes among the president's family members is a matter to be decided on by the National Assembly.
 
Presidential officials said Yoon sat for the interview without notes or a teleprompter.
 
Yoon has yet to hold a customary presidential New Year's press conference, despite having initially pledged better communication with the media and public. His last proper press conference, other than diplomatic briefings held after bilateral summits with foreign leaders, was his 100-day press conference in August 2022.  
 
The majority Democratic Party (DP) immediately criticized Yoon for failing to issue a public apology in the KBS interview, saying that the president's "shameless attitude is depressing."
 
"In the end, there was no apology from the president," DP spokesman Kwon Chil-seung said in a statement, expressing frustrations over Yoon's "arrogant refusal to respond to the public's demand for a public apology and a thorough investigation."
 
Kwon claimed that it is "shocking" that the president has joined in the claims of a "hidden camera" and "political maneuver" over the handbag allegations and added that Yoon "betrayed the expectations of the people."
 
Hong Ihk-pyo, DP floor leader, in a party policy meeting Thursday, likewise slammed Yoon's interview as being "empty talk" that "started with excuses and ended with self-justification, without a single word of reflection despite repeated mistakes."
 
He said that Yoon's making of excuses rather than truthful answers to the issue is bringing about public "anger" as it "doesn't contain any of the sincere apology, reflection and consolation that the people wanted to hear."  
 
PPP interim leader Han Dong-hoon said Thursday regarding Yoon's stance on the handbag allegations, "A judgment will be made by the people, and it is not appropriate to evaluate the detailed contents of the remarks."  
 
Han, addressing reporters during a visit to Nowon District, northern Seoul, to deliver coal briquettes, said regarding the interview, "I think President Yoon expressed his honest thoughts, including on preventing a recurrence."
 
Late last month, Han nearly had a falling out with the presidential office in part because of the allegations against the first lady, though Yoon and the former justice minister quickly made amends publicly. However, Han has been of the opinion that the handbag allegations are a matter of public concern, especially as the PPP is concerned it could hamper voter sentiment ahead of the parliamentary elections.
 
When asked whether he thought the public's concerns had been resolved, Han replied, "I think the president understands the public's concerns and worries."
 
Han said that he doesn't agree with the "framing" of the allegations against the first lady as a "risk" but noted that "all responsible leadership must be observant and careful."
 

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