Hyo Eun-ah “expresses her displeasure with Mrs. Kim Han Dong-hoon and refuses to meet with her.”
◀ Anchor ▶
It was later revealed that First Lady Kim Kun-hee called New Reform Party leader Hyo Eun-ah last July and asked to meet in person.
At a time when the luxury bag controversy and suspicions of outside pressure in the investigation into Cha Sang-byung’s death in the line of duty were in full swing, he tried to contact the opposition leader directly.
In a phone call that day, Ms. Kim reportedly expressed her displeasure with then-candidate Han Dong-hoon, who was running for the People’s Power Party convention.
He is also said to have complained of injustice over the suspicions surrounding him and there has been immediate criticism from the opposition that the presidential office is not controlling Ms Kim.
Reporter Jeong Sang-bin reports.
◀ Report ▶
New Reform Party leader Hyo Eun-ah revealed that she received a phone call from First Lady Kim Kun-hee three months ago.
On July 12, he was injured and he called me and said, “I’m sorry I can’t express my condolences in person.”
In particular, Ms Kim is said to have spoken of People Power Party leader Han Dong-hun.
[허은아/개혁신당 대표]
“It is true that Ms. Kim Kun-hee called me part of the conversation where she expressed her frustration with CEO Han Dong-hun.”
At the time of the phone call in July, the People Power Party was in the middle of its national convention to elect the party’s leader.
At the time, controversy arose when candidate Han Dong-hun did not respond to Miss Kim’s text message expressing his intention to apologize for the luxury bag suspicions.
Representative Hyo said, “Mrs. Kim suggested a meeting, but I declined because I thought it would be a meeting with the ruling party.”
[허은아/개혁신당 대표 (CBS 라디오 ‘김현정의 뉴스쇼’)]
“He said, ‘I want to meet you and talk about it.’ I declined and said, ‘I’m sorry, but it will be difficult’.”
The representative also did not release any further details of the call.
However, an official from the New Reform Party told MBC reporters, “We understand that Ms. Kim is angry about the controversy surrounding her.”
The political commentator who first published the phone call between the two said he heard the same thing.
[장성철/’공감과 논쟁 정책센터’ 소장 (어제, MBC 뉴스외전)]
“I heard him express his emotions by saying, ‘Did I do something wrong?’
Rep. Heo said, “I didn’t tell anyone around me” and pointed to the president’s office as the source of the rumors, adding, “I wonder why I talked about it.”
The opposition immediately pointed out that “the fact that the president’s wife is calling the leader of the opposition party is itself absurd” and “is evidence that secretaries in the president’s office are unable to control Mrs. Kim.”
This is Jeong Sang-bin from MBC News.
Video coverage: Gimhae-dong Lee Ji-ho / Video editing: Ryu Daye
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