Lawmaker accuses first lady of clinic visit on martial law day

Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol (left) and first lady Kim Keon Hee. (Yonhap)

Rep. Jang Kyung-tae of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea alleged that first lady Kim Keon Hee spent three hours at a plastic surgery clinic on the evening of Dec. 3, just before President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law at 10:23 p.m.

“On Dec. 3, (a few hours before) martial law was declared, Kim entered a plastic surgery clinic located near Sinsa Station in southern Seoul, at 6:25 p.m. and remained there until 9:30 p.m., less than an hour before the martial law announcement,” Jang said during a press conference held at the National Assembly on Monday.

Jang added that the information came from an eyewitness account reported 10 days ago, adding that it underwent a verification process. He further claimed that the clinic’s head surgeon has served as a doctor in a special advisory role for Yoon since July 2022. “Even now, their website proudly displays a label identifying the surgeon as the president’s medical advisor,” Jang said.

Jang alleged that Kim took a Kia Motors' Carnival Hi-Limousine minivan and entered the clinic via the parking lot. “Five members of the presidential security service later arrived and confiscated the vehicle entry logs of the clinic,” he added.

Jang questioned why the first lady chose to visit the clinic in person on the day martial law was declared, noting that she often had the surgeon visit her instead.

“Why did the head doctor not travel to see her as usual? And why did she need to visit the clinic on this particular day?” he asked, adding, “Was there a specific reason she couldn’t meet the doctor at the presidential residence that day?”

The lawmaker also noted that Kim has no official role in state security matters and therefore should not have had access to sensitive information related to the martial law declaration. But her rushing back to the presidential residence less than an hour before the announcement was made raises questions, he added.