South Korean President apologizes for controversy surrounding his wife

The South Korean president has apologized for a series of controversies surrounding his wife, including accusations of receiving luxury Dior handbags and stock manipulation.

Speaking to the nation on television, Yoon Suk Yeol said his wife, Kim Keon Hee, should have behaved better, but her role was overly “demonized,” adding that some claims against her were “exaggerated”.

The president said he would create an office to oversee the first lady’s official duties, but rejected calls for an investigation into her activities.

Yoon’s apology comes as he is trying to reverse his popularity with the Korean public, regarding the controversy surrounding his wife.

In late 2023, the left-wing YouTube channel Voice of Seoul posted a video purporting to show Kim receiving a Dior bag worth 3 million won ($2,200; £1,800) from a pastor who filmed the exchange. changed in September 2022 using a camera hidden in his watch.

In February, Yoon said that the footage was leaked as a “political move”, and no apologies.

The Democratic Party of Korea, which opposes Yoon’s conservative People’s Power Party, at the time dismissed the president’s “shameless attitude” as “hopeless.”

The scandal also caused a rift within Yoon’s party, with one leader comparing Kim to Marie Antoinette, the French queen notorious for her lavish lifestyle.

The opposition party has also long accused the first lady of being involved in stock price manipulation. Earlier this year, Yoon vetoed a bill calling for an investigation of his wife over those allegations.