First Lady Kim Kun-hee’s summit diplomacy is also kept secret… Will we find an exit to ‘normalization’ through summit talks?

President Yoon Seok-yeol’s wife, Kim Kun-hee, did not appear at the welcoming event for the visiting Korean leader. There was speculation that he might engage in public activities at the first diplomatic summit held in Korea after the general election, but he only carried out a closed schedule. Attention is being paid to whether Mrs. Kim, who has not made any public appearances for more than four months, will be able to find a solution with the upcoming summit between the two leaders.

An official from the President’s Office said on the 24th, “When you are in a situation where you have to act as the spouse of a leader, it is natural for you to fulfill that schedule.”

On the 23rd, President Yoon held a summit meeting with Romanian President Klaus Berner Iohannis at the Yongsan Presidential Office. An official welcome ceremony was held prior to the summit, but the spouses of the leaders of both countries did not attend.

Mrs. Kim and Carmen Iohannis, the wife of President Iohannis of Romania, had a separate schedule with their normal spouses. However, the detailed schedule was not made public in accordance with the agreement between the two countries.

Mrs. Kim has not been seen in public for about four months since President Yoon’s return from a state visit to the Netherlands on December 15 last year.

Meanwhile, the schedule has been made known to the outside world on several occasions. Last February, it was reported that a commemorative letter and fruit basket were presented to the bereaved family of a ‘uniform hero’, and a luncheon was held at the official residence with President Yoon and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. In the April 10 general election, Mrs. Kim voted in advance separately from President Yoon. During this process, her photos were not made public.

Mrs. Kim’s undisclosed actions are interpreted as the influence of worsening public opinion related to the suspicion of luxury bags. There were also speculations that Mrs. Kim would resume her public activities with this summit meeting with the Romanian president, but nothing has changed yet.

Meanwhile, attention is being paid to whether the summit between President Yoon and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, could lay the foundation for Mrs. Kim to make a public move again. At present, it is unclear whether the special prosecution bill for First Lady Kim Kun-hee will be included in the agenda of the summit talks.

After the summit meeting, President Yoon is expected to implement changes in the Presidential Office that are requested by the opposition party and public opinion, providing an opportunity to normalize the twisted knots.

As the President’s Office is reorganized into the system of Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok, the push to establish a second attached office can begin in earnest. Previously, President Yoon said in the ‘KBS Special Talk’ last February that he was “considering” the establishment of a second annex office.

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