Less than two months in her position as the first lady, Kim Jung-sook is on second visit abroad.
Accompanying President Moon Jae-in to the annual G-20 summit in Germany, Kim has her own itinerary as well, the first stop being a visit to Korean-born composer Isang Yun’s grave in Berlin.
It was a bold move, given the controversy surrounding the composer who had ties with North Korea. He was abducted from Germany by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency in 1967 and sentenced to life in prison on spying charges. His sentence was eventually reduced to 10 years following two appeals before the authoritarian regime of Park Chung-hee released him in February 1969 following an international campaign calling for his release. Yun returned to Germany, became a naturalized German citizen and was not able to set foot on Korean soil again before he died in 1995.
Opinion is still split on Yun, who would be 100 years old this year. Conservatives condemn him for his alleged pro-North Korean activities while some argue his politics should not cloud his achievements as an internationally acclaimed composer who tried to bridge the East and the West through music.
During the Park Geun-hye administration, the foundation dedicated to Yun’s music and legacy was blacklisted and the Isang Yun Competition, an annual international music competition, was at risk of being canceled.
How things have changed. On Wednesday, Kim paid respects at Yun’s grave and planted a camellia tree from his hometown of Tongyeong. At the gravesite there is now a plaque bearing the names President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jung-sook.
It seems natural that Kim, who studied vocal performance in university, would have wished to visit the grave of Korea’s best-known composer. She said she was familiar with Yun’s music and wanted to bring the tree from his hometown to comfort the soul unable to return to his birthplace in his lifetime.
But Kim’s visit was a highly symbolic one, whether she had intended it to be or not. She was visiting the grave not as a private person but as Korea’s first lady, bringing along with her all the weight of her position.
I hope our first lady, or Madame Kim Jung-sook, as the presidential office prefers the media to call her, bears the weight of her position with dignity and lightness. Hers is an unofficial position, but one that nevertheless imbues all her actions and words with meaning and significance. Quite often, it is a thankless job, for which one is criticized more than praised.
Exposed to the public eye, the first lady’s every move is scrutinized, as is her fashion. Just look at the number of articles that were produced on Kim’s sartorial choices for her US visit. Everything she wore and carried was examined in microscopic detail. There was even an interview with a Korean-American woman who did Kim’s hair and makeup.
Kim is a breath of fresh air in the long litany of Korean first ladies. Her arrival at the Blue House reminded us of those who came before. Clad in beautiful hanbok, few did little more than stand by their husbands, smile benevolently and engage in light charity work. We hardly ever heard their voices.
Our new first lady has shown great capacity for empathy. Her interaction with the elderly participating in an art therapy class at a senior services center in Washington was unfeigned. In meeting people, whether heads of state or ordinary citizens, she always looks them in the eye and holds their hands. She laughs with her head tilted back. She nods as she listens to people, reassuring them and encouraging them to continue. At ease with herself, she makes big gestures with her arms. And she does not shy from speaking.
It is refreshing to have a self-confident, modern woman as our first lady. From brief glimpses of the first couple interacting with each other, we can glean that their marriage is one of equal partners. In a television show appearance during the 2012 presidential election campaign, the TV staff said her husband must like it that she can cook well, to which she answered, “I think he would like me the same even if I couldn’t.”
Kim is often called “the cheerful Miss Jung-sook” and watching her in action, it is easy to know why. She has an infectious energy and confidence that relax those around her.
I hope she can continue as she is. I hope we allow her to continue as she is.
In her 2012 book in which she interviews several prominent cultural figures, she wrote, “I don’t want to merely stand behind my husband holding flowers. I intend to find what I can do to help my husband.”
While the Blue House has not announced an initiative Kim wants to advocate, at least not yet, I hope she finds one that speaks to her heart and that she will bring the weight of her position to it.
As a mother of two young women, I would like to see Kim succeed. I would very much like for her to show our young women they have a voice and they will be heard; they will be judged by their words and deeds, not by their looks; and substance and style do not have to be mutually exclusive.
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By Kim Hoo-ran
Kim Hoo-ran is a senior cultural writer at The Korea Herald. She can be reached at
khooran@heraldcorp.com-Ed.