The fatal offshoot of a twisted ‘partnership’

The president must come to a sober reckoning and decision. If he loses public favor further, his grip over governance would become unsalvageable.

Kim Jung-haThe author is an editorial writer of the JoongAng Ilbo. Four weeks ago, I had written a think piece about the first lady posing as a potential flash point of bringing down the ruling power. Over the subsequent weeks, more twists and turns were added to the shocking episodes related to her. From what we have learned so far, first lady Kim Keon Hee could end up destroying her husband as well as the conservative party. A seemingly new character popped up, although we found he had been omnipresent as a gray eminence before Yoon won presidency. Self-proclaimed “power broker” Myung Tae-kyun has entered the scene, claiming he pulled the strings behind the campaign roster of the People Power Party (PPP) on behalf of Kim and disclosed screenshots of their text messages.

Kim had caused uproar and serious setbacks to her husband’s campaign when seven-hour-long taped records of her conversation with a liberal YouTube news channel reporter were aired in January 2022 — just two months before the presidential election. Anyone who had gone through such public ordeal and embarrassment would have been extra cautious and vigilant against strangers.

Yet she again confided with a liberal-minded pastor who approached her in less than a month. She again talked behind her husband, regretting and whining why she got herself into such agony by marrying him.

The things and stories she had unburdened on the pastor in hundreds of messages across nearly two years could be sufficient to write up a psychological report. The private confession was shared with the rest of the world along with her acceptance of a luxury bag from the pastor.

Kim equally trusted Myung. To a man she barely knew, Kim sought his pardon for her “clueless” oppa, a Korean term used by a woman referring to a close older man such as a brother or partner. “Someone who is daft can act like that,” she said, causing the readers to wonder what she really thought of her husband. When she asked Myung about something, the broker answered that he would check it out with Lee Jun-seok, the PPP leader at the time, and get back to her the following day. Lee, who commanded the PPP during the presidential election campaigning, had said something to upset Kim, who in turn implored Myung to find out the motive. This episode suggests Kim could have had her hands deeply in the campaign affairs.

She spoke highly of Myung’s judgment and exalted him as “the only person who can solve things.” The text suggests she had been pleased with a mission she had assigned to the power broker. The mysterious man claims he has kept over 2,000 photos taken with her in his KakaoTalk account. Even the first lady cannot fathom what he has.

Given her track record, the first lady could have befriended many others in such a private manner — there could be more taped conversations and texts that could surface at any time. From the way she described her husband, she acted protectively of him and saw herself as an equal to him. The relationship would not have mattered if they had been an ordinary couple. But this is the president and his wife we are talking about. The president is a person the people elected as their leader, not his wife. If the wife crosses the line, she could be accused of meddling in state affairs.

For instance, the president appointed an alum who went to the same graduate school of his wife in April last year as his secretary for protocol. He headed an exhibition agency with little experience in diplomatic protocols. It was the first time an acquaintance of the first lady was appointed to a post responsible for arranging presidential schedules. Did the first lady suppose her opinion mattered more than the president’s safety and face? Her voice also influenced the renovation of the presidential residence.

The illegalities aside, these episodes can stoke vexation and disgust for the public. The president’s approval rating dipping to the 20-percent level owes largely to the risk related to his wife. The president must come to a sober reckoning and decision. If he loses public favor further, his grip over governance would become unsalvageable.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.