Controversy reemerges over former first lady’s India trip

Kim Jung-sook to take legal action against accusations of wrongful spending, opposition lawmaker says

Ruling People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun speaks during a press briefing for the special counsel investigation bill into allegations against former first lady Kim Jung-sook at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

A controversy surrounding accusations that former first lady Kim Jung-sook spent an “excessive” amount of taxpayers’ money to fund her 2018 trip to India has resurfaced in recent days, with the ruling party proposing a special counsel investigation.

Ruling People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun on Monday floated a bill that mandates a special counsel investigation into allegations that the former first lady wrongfully used her position and public funds to take a personal trip to India in November 2018, under the guise of an official visit, during the presidency of her husband, Moon Jae-in.

"I believe former first lady Kim Jung-sook's (2018 visit to India) could be seen as a corruption case, which is why there needs to be a special counsel investigation," Yoon told reporters after attending a debate in Gwangju on Wednesday.

Former first lady Kim Jung-sook poses in front of the Taj Mahal in November 2018. (Yonhap)

This is in line with his earlier remarks on Monday saying that "the documents proving that Kim Jung-sook spent millions of won to waste on airline catering and a private presidential jet for her 'bucket list' tour through taxpayers' money has been surfacing."

Ten other ruling party lawmakers co-sponsored the bill.

As the bill prompted a dispute in the political sphere here, Moon on Wednesday denounced Rep. Yoon and several conservative politicians who accused Kim via Facebook.

“Due to the repeated request of the Indian government, I pushed (my wife) to participate in the trip. Isn’t it embarrassing to insult (my wife after all these years)?” Moon said.

The former president claimed that the presidential office is forbidden from meddling in the budget allocation process for overseas travels for the president and the first lady.

“If there are questions regarding the budget and the money then the questions should be directed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism,” he added.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Youn Kun-young said Tuesday that Kim plans to file a defamation lawsuit against the ruling People Power Party lawmakers who drew up the latest special investigation bill. Youn served as Moon's secretary to the president for state affairs planning.

The political sphere expressed divided views on the matter, with some expressing support for the bill. Others questioned the timing of the bill, which came in line with the opposition’s push for a similar special counsel investigation bill into allegations that current first lady Kim Keon Hee violated Korea's anti-graft law and accepted bribery in 2022.

“I am concerned about how the proposal of the bill (against Kim Jung-sook) would look to the public at this time,” star politician and former People Power Party Rep. Yoo Seong-min said in a Tuesday radio interview, hinting that the public would connect the ruling party’s move to the main opposition’s push for the investigation bill against Kim Keon Hee.

Conservative Mayor Hong Joon-pyo of Daegu criticized Kim Jung-sook in a Facebook post uploaded Tuesday and called for an explanation from Moon and his wife.

“I hope that (Moon and Kim Jung-sook) explain the allegations surrounding Kim Jung-sook’s (trip to India in 2018),” Hong wrote.

Government documents acquired and recently released by People Power Party Rep. Park Soo-young showed that the Indian government initially requested then-Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan to visit the country in 2018. However, the itinerary was later altered to accommodate Kim Jung-sook’s four-day trip to India.

The former first lady made a stopover in Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located, on Nov. 7, a day on which originally no official appointments were scheduled.

Another document released by People Power Party Rep. Bae Hyun-jin showed that the presidential office inked a 230 million won ($167,300) deal with Korean Air Lines to provide private services for Kim Jung-sook's and her delegation's trip to India. Of the total budget, 62.92 million won was spent on airplane catering services alone.

By Jung Min-kyung(mkjung@heraldcorp.com)