China News Service, February 8 (He Luman and Meng Xiangjun) "President Yin Xiyue's love for Ms. Kim Jianxi is sincere." Korean media revealed that this sentence is very popular near Yongsan, South Korea.
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yue often expressed his love for his wife in public in the past.
However, after more than two years in power, the price he paid for this love seems to be gradually emerging.
Yun Xiyue's party is seeking to win control of Congress in April's election - which will affect whether he will fall into "early lame duck" status for the rest of his term.
The turmoil caused by Jin Jianxi has become a "landmine" that may detonate him at any time.
Data map: South Korean President Yoon Seok-yue and his wife Kim Jian-hee.
"Elaborate political conspiracy"
On the evening of February 7, South Korea's KBS Channel 1 broadcast the exclusive interview program "Special Interview: Inside the Presidential Palace."
In the show, Yoon Seok-yue responded to the controversy over his wife, Kim Jian-hee, receiving a designer leather bag. He said that the person who delivered the package wore a watch with a secret camera function, and it was revealed that it was revealed just before the election. This may be a "well-planned conspiracy."
The controversy over Kim Gun-hee's acceptance of a designer leather bag once caused turmoil in South Korea's ruling party, and attracted the attention of foreign media such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the Guardian, and the Wall Street Journal, which reported on the incident.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the British "Guardian" reported on the incident of South Korea's first lady Kim Gun-hee accepting a designer bag. Image source: Report screenshot
South Korean online media "Voice of Seoul" reported in November 2023 that Kim Jianxi received brand names worth the equivalent of 3 million won (approximately RMB 16,000) from the American pastor Choi Jae-young on September 13, 2022. package and was filmed on-site video. It is said that the video was secretly shot by Choi Jae-yong with his watch, and the gift was prepared by "Voice of Seoul".
Yin Xiyue has not publicly discussed this video before.
In the latest broadcast, Yin Xiyue explained that this incident occurred before staying at the Yongsan Presidential Palace. Cui Zaiyong and Jin Jianxi's fathers were from the same hometown, and they came to the door "pretending to be close".
"In my opinion, it is difficult for the president or the president's wife to be indifferent to everyone. It is a pity that the wife did not refuse categorically." Yin Xiyue said, "If I were informed of this situation in advance, based on my 26 years of judicial experience, I would maintain A more firm attitude. However, from the wife’s perspective, it may be difficult to refuse easily when faced with various complex situations.”
On the evening of February 7, South Korea's KBS TV Channel 1 aired an exclusive interview program "Special Interview: Inside the Presidential Palace". South Korean President Yoon Seok-yue responded to the controversy over his wife Kim Gun-hee's acceptance of a designer bag. Image source: KBS video screenshot
Yoon Seok-yue seemed to respond to the controversy, but defended his wife, angering South Korea's opposition Democratic Party. Kwon Chil-seung, the party's chief spokesman, said Yoon Seok-yue mentioned Ms. Kim Jian-hee's suspicion of accepting a designer bag, but ultimately did not apologize.
He said, "It is the president's arrogance to use such covert excuses to convince the angry people. President Yoon Seok-yue has betrayed the expectations of the people who demand a sincere apology."
Kwon Chil-seung also pointed out that the way to ask for forgiveness from the people is to pass the "Kim Gun-hee Independent Inspection Law."
The "Kim Gun-hee Independent Prosecution Act" is the abbreviation of "A bill regarding the appointment of an independent prosecutor to investigate the suspicion that the president's wife, Kim Gun-hee, and her family members manipulated the stock price of Deutsche Automobile AG."
On January 5, Yin Xiyue exercised his right to reconsider the bill (veto power), returned it to Congress and asked for reconsideration.
The political troubles of "The Love Master"
The Hankyoreh Daily once called Yoon Seok-yue a "love expert" in a column, while Kim Jian-hee was a "no-go zone" within the ruling party.
In 2012, 40-year-old Jin Jianxi married Yin Xiyue, who is 12 years older than herself.
They were introduced through acquaintances. It is said that after the first meeting, Yin Xiyue fell in love with Jin Jianxi, but gave up because of the big age gap between the two, and deliberately threw away the business card given by the other party.
However, not long after, Yin Xiyue sent an email to Jin Jianxi to express his feelings.
Data map: South Korean President Yoon Seok-yue and his wife Kim Jian-hee.
South Korea's "National Daily" revealed that before discarding Kim Gun-hee's business card, Yoon Seok-yue memorized her email address and decided to contact him after much hesitation. The introducer who learned of this situation immediately helped the two people create opportunities to meet again.
After dating for nearly two years, the two got married in March 2012. The couple did not have any children, but they had many cats and dogs.
Previously, when asked "What kind of person is Yin Xiyue as a husband?" Kim Jianxi said, "(He) is always busy, but he is always a gentle and considerate person to me."
Data map: Jin Jianxi.
Jin Jianxi revealed in 2022 that the most touching words Yin Xiyue said to her were, "I will cook for you for a lifetime."
"When we were in love, my husband felt sorry for me because I was busy working and could not eat well." Jin Jianxi said that when we got married, he promised to "cook for me for the rest of my life." Now 10 years have passed, and he has still kept this promise very well. "I believe he will better abide by the agreement with the people."
However, between his wife and the people, Yin Xiyue seems to have chosen the former many times.
"Although there are a lot of negative public opinions about Ms. Kim Kun-hee's acceptance of designer bags, Yun Xiyue does not allow the ruling party to talk about the people's hearts. The first priority is to protect Ms. Kim Kun-hee who is under attack." An article in the Hankyoreh Daily wrote the column.
In fact, the brand-name bag incident is not the first time that Jin Jianxi has caused controversy.
As early as May 2022, before Yin Xiyue took office, Jin Jianxi apologized for being accused of forging academic qualifications in a resume when applying for a teaching position. She also faces accusations of involvement in stock price manipulation, although South Korea's presidential office has denied the accusations.
Data map: South Korean President Yoon Seok-yue.
The turmoil caused by Kim Jianxi has become a political trouble facing Yin Xiyue, especially as his party is striving to win control of Congress in the April election.
The Wall Street Journal pointed out that in the context of economic stagnation and rising inflation, Yin Xiyue's favorable rating for his policy has been hit, and most Koreans are dissatisfied with Yin Xiyue's governance performance. A previous poll showed that 62% of the respondents believed that the "branded bag incident" violated the anti-corruption law.
The incident of Kim Jianxi accepting a brand-name bag also caused an uproar within Yin Xiyue's ruling party. Han Dong-hoon, chairman (interim leader) of the ruling party's National Power Emergency Countermeasures Committee, who is regarded as Yoon Seok-yue's "confidant", made controversial remarks about the incident, and the conflict with the South Korean Presidential Office became public. The South Korean Presidential Office even conveyed a request to resign to him, but Han Dongxun immediately expressed his rejection clearly.
In this regard, Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's largest opposition Democratic Party, criticized that the disagreement between Yin Seok-yue and Han Dong-hun over the Kim Jian-hee controversy reflected that as president, Yoon Seok-yue was interfering in internal party affairs.
It is less than 80 days before the South Korean parliamentary election. The ruling party originally did not have an advantage in the number of seats in the parliament, and now the election situation is getting worse. Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" analyzed that if the ruling party fails in the April parliamentary election, Yin Xiyue, who has three years left in his presidential term, may fall into an "early lame duck" state. (over)