What should the first lady’s role be?

In Korea, spouses of current and former presidents and potential presidential candidates are drawing attention every day.

KANG TAE-HWAThe author is a Washington correspondent of the JoongAng Ilbo. On May 29, First Lady of the United States Jill Biden appeared on a video by the Smithsonian National Zoo and announced the return of giant pandas to Washington. Pandas are a symbol of U.S.-China diplomacy. China sent them to the United States for the first time ahead of the normalization of relations in 1972.

Currently, the panda cages at the National Zoo are empty, as three pandas returned to China in November 2023. The first lady’s declaration of the pandas’ return means that she is at the forefront of the diplomacy with China.

The first lady had a White House briefing on May 22. She explained the reception for the Kenyan leader’s state visit. She said, “As guests leave, their path illuminated by our one moon, I hope they will be filled with that same warmth I felt on my visits to Kenya.” She visited Kenya by herself in February 2023. The first lady welcomed Kenyan President William Ruto and his wife at the airport when they arrived in Washington.

She does not shy away from having interviews on the upcoming U.S. presidential election. On old age, she said that Trump is 78 and Joe Biden is 82 but the election is not about age but about character. On the abortion issue, she said that this year, women’s rights are in jeopardy, and voters need to choose between democracy and chaos.

The American media considers her active involvement an indispensable part of Biden’s presidential campaign. It stands in comparison to Melania Trump, who rarely makes public appearances. But the moves of the two first ladies rarely escalate into a political controversy.

In Korea, spouses of current and former presidents and potential presidential candidates are drawing attention every day. But they make people frown. The current first lady allegedly received a luxury handbag from a suspicious pastor, and after five months of laying low, she started public appearances.

The former first lady is at the center of controversy for high clothing costs and her mysterious trip to India. The spouse of the major opposition party is on trial for her personal use of a government credit card. The first issue of the newly opened 22nd National Assembly will most likely be a special investigation on the first ladies.

While the governing and opposition parties are focused on attacking the first lady of the other side, the U.S.-China rivalry is getting fiercer. The leadership of America, Korea’s only ally, also may change. What would happen if North Korea sends balloons filled with noxious chemicals instead of feces across the border to South Korea?