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What a lavish in-flight meal on the plane!

Published: 03 Jun. 2024, 20:06

Former first lady Kim Jung-sook, wife of former president Moon Jae-in, made a solo four-day visit to India on Nov. 4, 2018. She flew on a presidential plane to the country she visited four months earlier with her husband for a state trip. She enjoyed an exclusive tour of Taj Mahal which was closed to the general public that day. The trip was originally scheduled for Culture and Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan. A trip that would have cost 25 million won ($18,050) for a cabinet minister stretched to 236.7 million won because the first lady used the presidential plane and had extra security.

Of the spending, 62.92 million won went to cover in-flight meals, almost equaling the fuel cost of 65.31 million won. The money, which would have fed a four-member family for five years, was spent during the 18-hour flight. As Kim had 36 people in her entourage, each person consumed food worth 1.75 million won, or 440,000 won, over the span of four meals. The money is three to four times more than what the 100,000 won to 150,000 won usually charged for a first-class meal. The first lady of a political party advocating for the rights of the common people and the vulnerable lavished so much money on in-flight meals.

In his recently-published memoir, former President Moon attributed the controversy over his wife’s visit to India to “malicious distortion” by opponents. He claimed that it was India which pleaded for his wife’s visit after he turned down the offer.

But according to a government document obtained by the governing People Power Party (PPP), the former culture minister was “head of the government delegation” and Kim “a special member of the entourage,” contrary to the opposition Democratic Party (DP)’s claim that India had invited her rather than the minister. According to the visiting list, Kim was a “special member” — not “an official member” — of the delegation to India. That strongly suggests that Moon misled the public with his claim that the visit was the first-ever solo diplomacy trip by a first lady.

The DP is accusing the PPP of trying to water down the controversy over first lady Kim Keon-hee, the wife of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who received a luxury handbag from a suspicious pastor four months after her husband took office in May 2022. The controversy of six years ago resurfaced due to Moon mentioning the incident in his memoir.

If the current first lady flew on a presidential plane and spent millions of won on in-flight meals, the DP would have pushed for presidential impeachment instead of a special probe. The affair demands a thorough investigation to prevent any possible tax squandering in future presidential trips.