On Friday, the presidential nominee of South Korea’s main opposition party apologized after his wife was alleged to have lied on her resume to land a teaching job years ago. Lee Jae-myung, the candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, is facing off against Yoon Suk-yeol, the candidate of the main conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP).
There has been a controversy involving family members involving both candidates this week. Lee apologized for his son’s illegal gambling on Thursday. Kim Keon-hee, Yoon’s wife, was accused by the YTN news network of fabricating her credentials when applying for jobs at universities in 2007 and 2013. As a result of the revelations, there was a flutter in South Korea, with many people viewing indiscretion as an abuse of power by the politicians.
In an unannounced visit to the party’s headquarters, he told the press, ‘I apologize for the controversy surrounding my wife. I state clearly that, regardless of the reasons, the fact that the credentials were inaccurately stated and raised a controversy is in itself not in line with the fairness and common sense that I have preached’. Kim apologized two days earlier for the ‘inconvenience and fatigue’ the people may feel.
It was Yoon, who is considered a political novice, who shot to fame as prosecutor-general by indicting Cho Kuk, a former justice minister and aide to Moon Jae-in, over bribery and fraud pertaining to his daughter’s university admission. Moon Jae-in’s ruling party has faced public criticism for its hypocrisy regarding graft and sex abuse.
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After Moon’s conservative predecessor was impeached and jailed for graft, the party came to power in 2017 vowing to clean up politics. According to the constitution, Moon can only serve one term. South Korea’s 2022 presidential election is scheduled for March 9, 2022. This will be the eighth presidential election since the southern Koreans became democratic.
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