Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Presidential office to reinstate first lady's office by August
First lady Kim Keon Hee arrives at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, United States, July 8 (local time). Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
The presidential office will reinstate the office tasked solely with managing the first lady's activities, it said Tuesday.
An official from the presidential office said that the reorganization process has begun to revive the office for first lady Kim Keon Hee. The setup is expected to be completed by the end of August, with the office's staff projected to number between five and 10.
The office of the personal secretary to the president has been supporting Kim's activities.
The decision comes amid increasing political attacks from opposition parties against Kim over her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scandal and her receipt of a luxury bag gifted by a pastor.
In December 2021, President Yoon Suk Yeol, then a presidential candidate, said in a media interview that his administration would abolish the first lady's office to streamline the presidential office's organization and prevent unnecessary issues related to the first lady.
However, earlier this year, Yoon said in a broadcast interview with KBS that the presidential office was reviewing whether to reinstate the first lady's office.
The ruling party's clear majority support for reinstating the office, including from the newly elected party leader, Han Dong-hoon, appears to have been a significant factor in finalizing this decision.
Public opinion, which Yoon mentioned as a prerequisite for retracting his campaign promise, also seems to have played a role. According to a recent public poll by RnSearch conducted from May 3 to 5, 64 percent of respondents said that establishing the first lady's office is necessary.