Former first couple’s water use makes a splash
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former first lady Kim Keon Hee are seen in their vehicle as they leave the official presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, Seoul, April 11. The vehicle is heading to their private residence in southern Seoul. Joint Press Corps
An unusually high level of water usage — over 228 tons during a seven-day period at the official residence of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former first lady Kim Keon Hee — has attracted scrutiny, following the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove him from office in early April.
While some have speculated that a swimming pool within the residence could be the cause, no explanation has yet emerged, leaving many questions unanswered.
The controversy over the massive water usage began on April 16, when Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Rep. Kim Young-whan revealed data from Seoul Waterworks Authority, highlighting the unusually high water consumption by the former presidential couple during their weeklong stay at the residence as private citizens following Yoon’s impeachment on April 4.
Rep. Kim’s data showed that the couple used 228.36 tons of water at the official residence in Hannam-dong in Yongsan District from April 4 to April 10, the day before they moved out.
According to 2023 data from the Seoul Waterworks Authority, the average two-person household uses about 3 tons of water per week. In stark contrast, the former presidential couple used 75 times that amount over the course of a week. Records show they used 38.97 tons of water on April 4, 31.94 tons on April 5, and 28.11 tons on April 10.
Addressing the excessive water usage, another DPK lawmaker, Rep. Youn Kun-young, suggested during a radio interview earlier this week that the presence of a swimming pool at the residence could be a contributing factor.
"I heard there is a small swimming pool inside the residence. ... Still, even within the presidential office, people are puzzled by the situation. It's such a large amount of water that it wouldn’t make sense unless the pool water had been completely replaced. I spoke with presidential staff members, and they said they couldn’t understand it either," Youn said in a radio interview earlier this week, adding that the swimming pool was not a facility exclusively used by Yoon and his wife.
An anonymous presidential official who spoke with The Korea Times on Tuesday also said he did not know the cause.
A view of the official presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan district, Seoul, April 10. Yonhap
Earlier, the presidential office said the water usage was within normal levels, explaining that the residence houses numerous security and management personnel who work around the clock.
"Therefore, the water usage cannot be limited to household needs, as it is also used for landscaping and cleaning around the residence. The average daily water usage at the residence during different seasons is between 25 and 32 tons, and I understand that Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential residence, used 40 to 50 tons of tap water daily," an official at the presidential office said on Thursday.
Yet confusion is mounting, with some questioning the credibility and justification of the claim — especially as the specific details of the tap water usage remain undisclosed.
Rep. Youn mentioned that he had requested further details about the water usage from relevant departments but was unable to obtain any information.
"A Ministry of the Interior and Safety official told me that, although the president is no longer at the residence, it remains a heavily guarded facility, so they could not provide the requested data," Youn said, adding that the official even suggested waiting for a regime change to receive the information.
Youn also highlighted that the Cheong Wa Dae and Hannam-dong residences differ significantly in size, explaining that the former had many more buildings and trees to manage.