"The issue of overseas business trips by spouses is an issue that has been discussed for the past few years," he said in a statement.
According to the recently released dialogue-style memoir, “From the Periphery to the Center,” former President Moon Jae-in said on the 19th about his visit to India in 2018, “I
At the time, Indian Prime Minister Modi told me about the plans for the Empress Heo Memorial Park and invited me to return when the park opened."
President Moon Jae-in continued, "Later, when the memorial park was opened, the Indian government invited me again, but I decided not to go to India.
"It was difficult for me to go again," he said. "So when I firmly declined, I was invited to send my wife off in my place, so she attended the opening ceremony in my place."
President Moon Jae-in also said, "The reason I am telling this story in detail is because there are still people who maliciously distort the story and make it seem like my wife went on a sightseeing trip using government money."
Political circles have pointed out that contrary to the announcement by the presidential office, it was the South Korean side that made the request to India when First Lady Kim Jong-sook visited India in 2018.
Lee Jung Bae, a Seoul city council member from the People Power Party, filed a lawsuit against Kim Jong-sook's wife for damages to the national treasury with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in December last year.
"He used 400 million won (US$430,000) in reserve funds for what was essentially a trip, which is clearly illegal," the lawsuit said.
In response to a question from her interlocutor asking, "Isn't this the first time that our country's First Lady has undertaken diplomacy?", President Moon Jae-in said,
"Since spouses of leaders usually assist their leaders in a lot of spouse diplomacy, it is misleading to say this is the first time the First Lady has engaged in this kind of diplomacy," he said. "It is the first time that the spouse has engaged in exclusive diplomacy."
That's the correct way to put it," he added.
2024/05/19 19:38 KST
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