Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
President Yoon's father dies
By Kim Rahn
The late Yoon Ki-jung / Yonhap
By Kim Rahn
President Yoon Suk Yeol's father, Yonsei University Professor Emeritus Yoon Ki-jung, died, Tuesday.
The senior Yoon, 92, had been hospitalized at Seoul National University Hospital recently for illnesses related to old age, according to the presidential office.
It said the president stayed by his father's deathbed after attending a National Liberation Day ceremony.
“To avoid a vacuum in state affairs, the president decided to hold the funeral for family members only. He seeks understanding for not receiving callers or flowers,” the office said in a text message sent to reporters.
This is the second time an incumbent president has lost a parent, following former President Moon Jae-in whose mother died in 2019.
The undated photo shows Yoon Ki-jung, center, the father of President Yoon Suk Yeol, with his family. Screenshot from President Yoon's Instagram account