Ex-First Lady Kim Keon-hee holds private tea meeting at Jongmyo also in 2023 with Lee Bae-yong, linked to ‘favoritism scandal’

Lee Jae-pil, head of the Korea Heritage Service’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Heritage Center, listens to questions from Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Min Hyung-bae regarding former First Lady Kim Keon-hee’s private tea meeting at Jongmyo Shrine during a parliamentary audit in the National Assembly in Seoul on October 16. / Yonhap News

Huh Min, administrator of the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), said on October 16 that his agency would request an investigation into former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife, Kim Keon-hee, if necessary, regardless of the ongoing special counsel probe, over her private tea meeting held at Mangmoru Pavilion in Jongmyo Shrine on September 3 last year.

During a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, Huh responded to related questions by saying, “It was wrong,” and added that the agency would act independently if needed. Referring to the opening of the royal shrine Yeongnyeongjeon, where the ancestral tablets (sinju) of the Joseon royal family are enshrined, just before the tea meeting, Huh said, “It was most improper and a very bad thing to open a sacred chamber before which even later kings of Joseon would kneel outside.” The spirit chambers of Yeongnyeongjeon are opened only twice a year, in spring and autumn, and as they enshrine the ancestral tablets of past kings and queens, they are rarely, if ever, made accessible to outsiders.

Lawmaker Min Hyung-bae of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized the incident, saying, “Kim Keon-hee’s private tea meeting at Jongmyo was a scene of personal encroachment, privatization, and abuse of national heritage.” He continued, “According to the regulations of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, a permit application must be submitted to use the site. Did the presidential office submit such a request? Who contacted you from the presidential office?”

Lee Jae-pil, head of the KHS’ Royal Palaces and Tombs Heritage Center, replied, “I was contacted by Park Hyun-kyung, an administrative officer in the presidential office’s culture and arts secretary’s office,” adding, “I accompanied them to Mangmoru and recognized only two foreign guests at the time.” When asked who ordered the suspension of CCTV recording at Jongmyo on the day of the meeting, Lee answered, “The Presidential Security Service requested it on the day of the event.”

Pressed on why the agency did not charge a usage fee for the pavilion, Lee hesitated before replying, “The estimated fee for using only Mangmoru Pavilion would have been about 1.5 million won.”

Asked whether he intended to apologize to the descendants of the royal family for allowing access to Yeongnyeongjeon, Lee said, “I will apologize.” He added, “One of the chambers was opened, but they did not enter inside.” He acknowledged, “Even if there was a request from the presidential office, I should have made a more cautious decision. I will work to ensure that such incidents do not happen again and focus on preserving our cultural heritage.”

During the same audit session, lawmakers also revealed that Kim had made another private visit to Jongmyo with then-President Yoon Suk-yeol in 2023, followed by another tea meeting. Lee Bae-yong, former head of the National Education Commission, currently under investigation by the special counsel team for alleged influence-peddling in public appointments, was reportedly present at that meeting. DPK lawmaker Lee Ki-heon criticized the secrecy, saying, “They claimed the visit was to inspect renovation work at Jongmyo’s main hall, but such schedules should either be made public or followed by the release of photos afterward. Instead, Kim remained behind after sending her husband ahead and continued a private tea meeting with Lee Bae-yong. What exactly did they discuss?”

Administrator Huh responded, “After taking office in July, I reviewed the case and planned to launch an internal audit, but the special counsel investigation began immediately. Regardless of that, the KHS will consider referring the case to prosecutors and take disciplinary or personnel action depending on the results.”

※This article was translated by an AI tool and edited by a professional translator.