Exceptional first lady
There have generally been two types of first ladies in Korea.
One is characterized by a strong commitment to causes, resembling activists. For instance, the late Lee Hee-ho (1922-2019), the wife of the late President Kim Dae-jung, falls into this category. Lee actively used her influence to contribute to the improvement of women’s status in the nation. She was a unique first lady who actively expressed her opinions and worked towards her chosen cause.
On the other hand, the majority of other first ladies tended to be more passive, assuming a supporting role behind their husbands. They discreetly sought ways to contribute and support their husbands in managing state affairs, making a conscious effort not to attract attention or overshadow them.
In a sense, first lady Kim Keon Hee is an outlier. She has received lots of unwanted attention from the media since her husband, President Yoon Suk Yeol, took office in May 2022.
It’s rare, and perhaps unprecedented, for the wife of an incumbent president to garner headlines. Historically, most presidential spouses have remained in the background, supporting their husbands as they led the country.
It is understandable for first ladies to be overshadowed by their spouses, because the title is not earned through their individual efforts. Instead, the title is automatically bestowed upon them once their spouse is elected president. In other words, they acquire the role of first lady by virtue of their husband’s ambition and success in becoming president.
Kim is one of the two Korean first ladies who has drawn a tremendous amount of public attention. The other is the late Yuk Young-soo (1925-1974), who was the wife of former President Park Chung-hee and the mother of former President Park Geun-hye. Park Geun-hye’s presidency came to an abrupt end in 2017 when she was impeached. Yuk has been referenced often these days as the Korean public has begun to draw comparisons with Kim.
Yuk is remembered as a first lady who served as an inspiration to her fellow Koreans during her era.
Kim has been back in the media spotlight since last year when her conversation with a U.S.-based pastor, Choi Jae-young, and footage of him handing over a Dior bag to her as a gift, were secretly recorded and made public on YouTube, months after the interaction occurred.
It is true that the first lady is a victim of what her supporters describe as a “hidden camera scam” premeditated by “malicious plotters.” But such an excuse does not justify her actions and thought process. First of all, she should not have accepted the bag. Second, even if Choi pressured her to take it, she should have returned it immediately. More importantly, she should not have met a person like him who is accused of having violated the National Security Law.
The presidential office asserted that Kim was deceived by the pastor, suggesting that it is unfair to level accusations against her. However, many Koreans still wonder why the first lady agreed to meet Choi in the first place.
Yuk was shot dead by a North Korean sympathizer on Aug. 15, 1974, when she attended a Liberation Day ceremony held at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul. She was seated behind her husband, who was delivering a speech.
Yuk was, and continues to be, the most favored first lady among Koreans, garnering widespread support in surveys. She is regarded as a role model for first ladies by the Korean public. Yuk did not spare constructive criticism for her husband whenever necessary. She confronted Park when he was heading in the wrong direction on policy fronts. She did not hesitate to inform her husband of uncomfortable truths, such as his relatives’ involvement in bribery cases or other illicit activities, so he could take immediate action to stop it. She was a responsive first lady. She spent most of her time reading and answering letters from Korean citizens. She tried to reach out to the poorest of the poor to offer help.
Yuk is still remembered by many
Koreans for her dedication to hearing the voices of the voiceless and trying to make them heard by affecting public policy.
Korean society has changed a lot over the past five decades. The status of women is one of the areas in which a great deal of progress has been made. Back in the 1970s, women in decision-making positions were certainly scarce, if not virtually nonexistent. But today, women are everywhere in key positions at virtually every organization as an increasing number of female pioneers broke the glass ceiling in their respective fields.
Some may say that comparing two first ladies who lived in very different times is meaningless due to changes that Korean society has experienced and that each of them needs to be assessed based on the context of their times.
In the 1970s, for example, Korean society was far more Confucianist than it is today, and therefore women in general were expected to be obedient. Like Yuk, self-sacrificing and meek women were regarded as desirable. But today, thanks to the improvement in the status of women in Korea, they are vocal, aware of their rights and willing to express themselves.
The general public’s expectations of a first lady and her role needs to change in accordance with such societal changes, they would argue.
When the Dior bag scandal erupted, some sympathetic YouTubers, in defense of Kim, claimed that a fashionista first lady is far more preferable than one who wears worn-out, cheap-looking outfits, since she represents all Korean women.
But that is an erroneous claim. There is no mandate, whatsoever, given to a first lady to represent her countrywomen. In fact, no one ever asked her to represent all Korean women.