Yoon seeks breakthrough with wife's apology over resume falsification allegations

Kim Keon-hee, the wife of People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, bows her head after apologizing for falsifying her qualifications in her resume, at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

Kim Keon-hee admits to exaggerating her professional record on CV

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The wife of main opposition People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol apologized, Sunday, for falsifying her credentials, reflecting the party's decision to face the issue head on amid decreasing support for the candidate.

Kim Keon-hee, Yoon's wife, has remained behind the scenes during her husband's presidential campaign so far, mainly because of various allegations involving her and her mother. But on Sunday, she made her first official appearance since Yoon's presidential bid in June, to make an official apology.

"I committed acts of wrongdoing while trying to work and study at once. I exaggerated my career to make it look good and there were some mistakes. I shouldn't have done that and I am very ashamed as I look back on it. It is all my fault. Please forgive me,” Kim said during a press conference at the PPP's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul.

Kim said that she would quietly reflect on her acts of wrongdoing during the remaining campaign period and added that she will continue her role as Yoon's wife if he wins the election.

"My husband is in a difficult situation because of me. I would prefer it if I could disappear and my husband could be judged as himself," she said.

"You can blame me for my faults, but please do not withdraw your support for my husband.”

But after the remarks, a party official said that Kim's apology does not mean that she is admitting to any wrongdoings and added that the party would explain the facts later.

The official also said Kim's comment that she would take time to reflect on herself during the remaining campaign period does not mean that she will continue to stay away from her husband's campaign trail.

Kim is the president of Covana Contents, an event-planning company, and also worked as a lecturer at multiple universities from 2001 to 2016.

She is accused of falsifying the credentials she submitted when she applied for teaching jobs.

For instance, in her 2007 resume for Suwon Women's University, Kim wrote that she was enrolled in the "New York University Entertainment and Media Business Executive Program" from October to November of 2006. In her 2013 resume for Anyang University, she claimed to have participated in the "NYU Stern School Entertainment and Media Program" in 2006.

According to a task force under the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's presidential campaign committee, there was no such program in NYU's academic curriculum in 2006.

Kim later clarified that she attended a six-month course at Seoul National University's Global Leader Association in 2006, which included the program at NYU.

There are other allegations that Kim was not among the list of winners of the awards she claimed to have won in her resume and that she had written the wrong job titles or work periods in her curriculum vitae.

Kim's allegations of having falsified her resume caught up with Yoon's presidential campaign, highlighting the issue of “fairness” and resulted in a drop in Yoon's support rate.

According to a Dec. 23 National Barometer Survey conducted from Dec. 20 to 22, Yoon's support rate was 29 percent, seven percentage points down from the previous week, while the number of undecided voters went up from 17 percent to 25 percent, signaling that Yoon's supporters have turned their backs on him. Further details are available at the websites of the survey agencies or of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

Yoon apologized to the public on Dec. 17 for causing concern over the controversy surrounding his wife, claiming that many of the allegations have proven to be false. But the controversy did not die down, leading to Kim to step up and apologize.