Why has video of former presidential couple singing together surfaced now?
Summary
A video of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and Kim Keon Hee singing a duet was posted on social media Saturday by Jung Ji-won, a former presidential office official who served as Kim’s aide. The post appeared as Kim remained in detention, with her detention period set to expire on Oct. 31, and prompted speculation that it could build support for her release. Jung has also shared photos and anecdotes about the couple’s private life and time in office. Kim is standing trial over allegations including stock-price manipulation involving Deutsch Motors and receiving free opinion polls from political broker Myung Tae-kyun.
Key Facts
- The couple sang “All I Ask of You” from The Phantom of the Opera in a video that appears to have been filmed at their residence.
- Jung Ji-won’s social media account was created in late August, and her first post called for Kim’s grievances to be addressed through a fair trial.
- Jung said Kim gave singing lessons to Yoon and that the couple practiced songs as duets.
- Jung also posted a photo of Kim cleaning the floor at the presidential residence and claimed she continued cleaning after becoming first lady.
- Jung’s remarks about golf, sushi and Japanese shampoo appeared to mock controversies involving President Lee Jae Myung and his wife, Kim Hye Kyung.
Aide shares rare private moment of Korea's first-ever case of former president and wife being detained simultaneously
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and his wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, sing “All I Ask of You” from the musical “The Phantom of the Opera” together. The image was taken from a video posted on social media by Jung Ji-won, a former presidential office administrative official known to be a close aide to Kim. The exact date of the video is unknown. Captured from social media
A video of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, singing a duet has been released, featuring the couple at the center of Korea’s first-ever case of a former president and first lady being detained simultaneously.
The video was posted on social media by a close aide to Kim, prompting speculation that it may be intended to build public support for her release ahead of the expiration of her detention period at the end of this month.
The video was posted Saturday by Jung Ji-won, a former administrative official at the presidential office who served as Kim’s aide during the Yoon administration. It shows the couple, dressed casually, singing “All I Ask of You” from the musical “The Phantom of the Opera” at what appears to be their residence. In the musical, the characters Christine and Raoul sing the song as they pledge their eternal love to each other.
“Another hobby of the first lady is giving singing lessons to the president,” Jung wrote. “They were such an affectionate couple that they even practiced songs as duets.”
Jung’s account was created in late August. In her first post on Aug. 28, she wrote, “I sincerely ask that (Kim’s) grievances be addressed through a fair trial,” adding, “I will make the truth known, even if it is through this account.” Since then, she has been regularly posting photos and videos of the couple’s private lives, along with anecdotes from their time in office.
On Friday, Jung also posted a photo of Kim squatting down to clean the floor at the presidential residence during Yoon’s term. “The first lady’s hobby was cleaning,” Jung wrote, adding that Kim considered playing golf leisurely with family to be the kind of pastime enjoyed by “people who wash their hair with Japanese shampoo and order sushi for delivery.”
The remarks appear to mock recent controversies involving President Lee Jae Myung, including reports that he received a briefing on the ceiling collapse at a building in Daegu while playing golf with his family. Jung’s remarks also appear to revive allegations that Lee’s wife, Kim Hye Kyung, had used a Gyeonggi Province corporate credit card to purchase sushi and Japanese shampoo, among other items.
Jung further claimed that Kim Keon Hee does not play golf and continued to clean floors and remove dust from hard-to-reach corners herself even after becoming first lady.
Kim is standing trial while in detention over allegations including stock-price manipulation involving Deutsch Motors and receiving free opinion polls from political broker Myung Tae-kyun. Her detention period expires on Oct. 31.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
Explore More
- Q.
- Q.
- Q.