Wife of SK chairman supports former Gyeonggi governor
Kim Moon-soo, left, a ruling Saenuri Party candidate running in Suseong A district in Daegu for the April 13 general election, waves alongside Roh Soh-yeong, the wife of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, during a campaign event, Sunday. / Courtesy of Kim’s campaign office
By Jun Ji-hye
Roh Soh-yeong, the wife of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, is participating in the campaign of former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo, who is running for the Suseong A district seat in Daegu in the April 13 general election.
Roh, 55, also the daughter of former President Roh Tae-woo, visited Kim’s campaign office in Daegu, Sunday, and joined his stumping tour to a shopping mall despite the rain, at which she appealed for support for Kim.
“Your choice in the upcoming election will be very important for the future of Daegu,” Roh told voters. “Let’s entrust the future of this city to Kim Moon-soo.”
Ahead of the stumping, the two also attended a church service together.
Kim, a ruling Saenuri Party candidate, has been falling behind his main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea rival Kim Boo-kyum in recent opinion polls, although Daegu is the traditional home turf for the ruling party.
Roh, who was born in Daegu, tried to capture the hearts and minds of voters there by emphasizing that she is proud of being a Daegu native. She told voters that she believes Daegu citizens hold their ground despite encountering difficulties.
“My family members worked in politics but I have stayed away from it. I have never helped anybody running in elections before,” she told reporters. “Kim Moon-soo is the most upright politician I have ever met. He has quality and vision.”
Roh noted that she first met Kim when the latter was serving as governor from 2006 to 2014.
She also spoke about her father, saying, “He has some mobility problems, but is in relatively good health.”
One of Kim’s aides told reporters that a mutual friend asked her to support the former governor’s campaign, and Roh unhesitatingly complied with the request.
An SK Group official said her support for Kim has nothing to do with the conglomerate.
Roh drew keen attention at the end of last year after her husband revealed that he has had a child with another woman and planned to divorce his wife.
At the time, Roh said she did not agree with the divorce, saying she wanted to keep her family together.
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