By Sunny Lee
Staff Reporter

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has his share of critics. But not all of them are as frank and influential as his wife. And the first lady, Kim Yun-ok, has been playing the role of the most honest and personal critic for Lee for decades.

Usually conducting herself in reserved mindfulness in official functions, especially after she has become the first lady, Kim used the Sept. 30 informal banquet for cabinet ministers and their wives, hosted by the president, to make a rare remark:

“In the ocean, it’s natural that there are waves. The waves provide oxygen to fish for survival. A calm ocean will go foul. The same goes in running a nation. We need to face the waves calmly and move on,” she was quoted as saying by JoongAng Ilbo on Saturday.

When Kim counsels her husband, she doesn’t raise her voice. She doesn’t have to. She mostly writes letters. During the presidential campaign, for example, she frequently wrote letters to Lee when he was about to leave home in the morning.

Her letters to her husband is “strategic” in a sense. One third of the letter contains flattering words, including how much she appreciates him. And remaining one third contains advice to him, including some sharp ones. But some are also personal, detailed, and even down on earth, such as, “Please don’t blow your nose in public. In the West, that’s acceptable, but not in Korea.”

It also contains her advice on how Lee should conduct himself with women. “Please don’t argue with a woman. A man is made of clay. A woman is made of the man’s rib bone. When the two clash, the clay gets smashed.”

Choi Jin, chief of the President Leadership Institute, says the role of the first lady is that of an “unofficial aide who could frankly point out the president’s human weaknesses.”

The way Kim carries herself in private and public sphere also shows that the Christian value system drives her, while her family is at the center of her life.

Both Kim and Lee have attended Somang Presbyterian Church in Seoul for decades where both often participated in community services. Somang means “hope.”

A pastor at the Church notes: “The church attaches a great importance to family life. The presidential family has overcome many difficulties with the help of Christian faith. It also has a deep impact on her outgoing and easy character.”

Analysts view that the first lady’s image of putting a great value on family, including cooking food herself for guests, as shown in the recent CNN footage, serves the nation well internationally as well, as a role model.

Kim is seldom political. But she doesn’t mind giving her husband some occasionally, when necessary. During the massive protest against the government’s decision to import American beef amid the fear of mad cow disease, the protesters’ slogans were loud enough that they could be even heard from the Chenog Wa Dae, the presidential residence.

“The president seemed to be growingly concerned about the increasing number of protesters. When I asked him how many people gathered, he said it was 100,000. When I asked the next day, he said it was 300,000. I told him that he shouldn’t be worried because his supporters outnumber the protesters, and told him to remain firm and not lose courage.”

Lee Bae-yong, president of Seoul’s Ewha Womans University, notes on Kim. “The first lady has qualities that are appreciated by Koreans, at the same time, she is very forward-looking. I think she is exercising ‘soft power’ leadership very well.”

sunny.lee@koreatimes.co.kr